Sasuke Andronicus
by Misato'sPenPen
Summary: Challenge fic. Naruto characters take the place of Shakespeare's in Titus Andronicus in this story of a cycle of revenge between Sasuke his brother Itachi. Slightly AU. Yaoi and Het, multiple pairings.
1. Prologue

Prologue  
This is a response the Shakespeare Challenge by DeathbeatAngel on Adultfanfiction. I chose Titus Andronicus. Contains Yaoi and Het.

Titus Andronicus = Sasuke  
Lucius = Shikamaru  
Lavinia = Sakura  
Marcus Andronicus = Kakahsi  
Tamora = Itachi  
Alarbus = Madara  
Demetrius and Chiron = Deidara and Kabuto  
Saturninus = Naruto  
Bassianus = Neji  
Aaron = Hidan

This story contains the following pairings:  
Itachi/Naruto  
Itachi/Sasuke  
Itachi/Hidan  
Itachi/Hidan/Kabuto/Deidara/Sakura  
Sasuke/Shikamaru  
Sasuke/Karin

Please review, people over at Adultfanfiction don't review as much as the kind people over here. =)


	2. Sasuke's Return

Kakashi came up to the podium flanked by the village elders to address the gathered shinobi of Konoha.

"The death of the Fifth was unfortunate and untimely, but we must choose a new Hokage to ensure the safety of the village."

Naruto sprang up to shove Kakashi away from the podium. "My friends! You all know it has been my dream to become Hokage since I was very young! My father was the greatest of the Hokage! The Fifth gave me this," Naruto held up the blue crystal necklace, "the necklace of the First! I am destined to become Hokage! Choose me!"

Neji leaped up to replace him. "Naruto has the heart to be Hokage and does possess great skill and comes from a noble bloodline. But it is too soon for him. He is still a Genin! I am also from a noble bloodline with skill nearly as great as the Uchiha! And I have proven myself as a Jounin! My peers, I am a better candidate for Hokage!"

Kakashi moved between them and reclaimed the podium. "You both have great merit and may both be future candidates for Hokage, but the elders and the senior Jounin have decided that Uchiha Sasuke shall be named the Sixth Hokage! Sakura has already been dispatched to inform him of our decision. He sent us the message that he not only defeated Orochimaru and destroyed the Sound village, but he has also brought down the Akatsuki and is gloriously returning to Konoha!"

At that moment Sasuke with his teammates Suigetsu, Jugo, and Karin flanking him and a number of Konoha shinobi, namely Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, TenTen, and Lee, dragging four prisoners in Akatsuki robes followed close behind. Sakura started to lead the group to the gathering, but Sasuke did not follow her. He led his group to the Uchiha shrine.

"Bring forth the leader of Akatsuki and the most powerful of their ranks, Uchiha Madara." Kiba and Shikamaru pulled the demasked old man to kneel in front of his great-great-grandson. "Uchiha Madara, you have dishonored your family, conspired to destroy your clan and the village, led my brother astray, and formed and secretly manipulated the Akatsuki organization. For these crimes I, your kin, offer your blood as a sacrifice to our clan."

"No!" Itachi cried out. "Spare him Sasuke! Victorious Sasuke! Victorious brother! Please! If you ever did loved me, let him live! There is no reason to practically slaughter him in the streets!"

"I am sparing your life, Itachi. If our family is to ever rest in peace, they must be appeased with the blood of the one who slaughtered them."

"But it was both of us! Extend your mercy to Madara as well! Show your nobility by sparing your own kin!"

"I will not continue to argue with you. Prepare yourself Uchiha Madara." Sasuke drew his long sword.

"If my life will buy yours Itachi, it is worth the loss."

"No, Madara!"

Sasuke electrified his sword with Chidori then cut off Madara's head. Itachi screamed while his fellows, Kabuto and Deidara tried to hold him back.

"If you argue your brother may kill you as well," Deidara whispered to him. "In a way Madara is lucky, we must live and tremble before Sasuke's eye and the scorn of your village."

Kabuto leaned in. "Resolve yourself; you need Sasuke's favor if we're to escape torture and demeaning servitude."

Hidan stood back and did not try to comfort the older Uchiha.

Suigetsu made sure a basin of blood was recovered from the neck of Madara. Jugo took up the head. The two of them and Karin followed Sasuke into the shrine were they lit a fire and placed the head in the fire. As it burned Sasuke raised the basin in offering then drank a mouthful of the blood before pouring the remainder slowly on to the head to be burned up by the intense flame.

"Rest in peace my clan. Let not this traitor enter your company. Rest in peace my family."

Jugo, Suigetsu, and Karin bowed their heads. Then the four of them came back out as Sasuke wiped blood from his face.

"Now, Sakura," Sasuke said. "Take us to the gathering."

Sakura escorted the group to where the village shinobi were gathered. Sakura ran up and kissed Neji on the cheek. Naruto glared at Neji with jealousy.

Sasuke followed less enthusiastically to Kakashi and the podium.

"Long live Uchiha Sasuke! My dear student! We humbly ask you to take up the mantle of Hokage, use your power and skill to serve and protect Konoha, and set a head to headless Konoha!"

The assembled shinobi cheered.

Sasuke stood before the podium and waited for silence. "You do me too much honor. Though I have eliminated all the threats to the village, I did so impulsively, disobeying all orders and counsel. No such man can be accepted as Hokage. You have my thanks, but I cannot take up this honor."

Sasuke looked to his former teammates. First to Sakura who was attached to Neji's arm. As her teammate and adopted brother, he had given her and Neji his blessing when she came to tell him of village's decision. He considered Neji. He would be a strong Hokage and was level headed. But he could be as cold in his analysis as Sasuke himself; they were both likely to make sacrifices that Naruto was known for wanting to avoid. No, Neji was more valuable in the field, the same reason Kakashi was not being made Hokage.

Then Sasuke turned to Naruto. Naruto had heart. And he wasn't such a great asset in the field. As Hokage he would be shut up in his office most of the time and couldn't get into trouble. It would also be the fulfillment of his lifelong dream. Who was he to deny him that?

"Fellow shinobi! I ask that you make Uzumaki Naruto the Sixth Hokage! He has the heart and zeal to defend his village! I do not doubt his love for Konoha and its people! If you wish to show me honor, take my words into consideration of your choice!"

Kakashi turned to the elders and the senior Jounin and spoke with them for a minute. As they did Sasuke and Naruto exchanged smiles. Then Sasuke walked over to Sakura and Neji. He apologized to Neji and wished him all the happiness in the world for him and Sakura. Naruto's eyes hardened.

Kakashi returned to the podium. "My friends! In thanks and to honor Uchiha Sasuke we the elders and Jounin have decided to install Uzumaki Naruto as the Sixth Hokage! May his leadership be wise and may he bring Konoha into another age of prosperity and safety!"

The gathered shinobi cheered. Naruto stepped up to the podium. "Thank you Kakashi, elders, fellow warriors, and my dear friend Sasuke! I promise to be the greatest Hokage to rival my father, the Third!" The shinobi cheered again.

"Now that I've become Hokage, the realization of my greatest dream, I think it's time to realize the other. Sakura, I choose you to be my bride. Be my wife and my aide in ruling the village."

Sakura stood shocked silent. Neji took an involuntary step forward. Sasuke looked at Sakura who looked to him for help. But they all knew they were all powerless: the Hokage could not demand a woman to marry him, but he could make life intolerable for all those who opposed him.

Sakura looked at Neji and then turned back to Naruto. "It would be an honor, lord Hokage." She did not sound honored. She took her place at his side.

—

Later, Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura, Neji, the elders, and Sasuke's entire entourage crammed into the Hokage's office. Sasuke knelt before Naruto. "Honorable Sixth Hokage. I ask forgiveness for my desertion of the village."

"You are forgiven and welcome back to Konoha."

"Thank you, lord Hokage. I offer you my prisoners. Use them as their deserts dictate to you."

Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, and TenTen pushed the four prisoners to kneel just before Naruto's desk.

Naruto's eyes were drawn to the elder Uchiha. _If I had seen this man before I asked for Sakura's hand . . ._

"I thank you, Sasuke, my dearest friend. Seeing as one is your brother, dear Sasuke, I release these four to make Konoha their home."

Sasuke stood in shock, but held his tongue. Every person in the room stiffened, but likewise remained silent.

Naruto nodded to them and waved them away.

Once they were all outside, the never impetuous Neji grabbed Sakura by the wrist and pulled her to him. "Sakura is my fiancé and I will not lose her though I give up the seat of Hokage. Even if we are banished from Konoha, I will not allow Naruto to take what he will without regard to what Sakura wants."

"Neji, don't. The life of a missing-nin is not something I want for you or Sakura. You will be hunted. And Naruto is sure to send ANBU after you."

"I care not! I will find refuge in another village."

"That's treason, Neji," Kakashi warned.

"To protect Sakura's honor, I will dare much more."

"Sasuke," Lee said, "you cannot let Sakura be taken against her will by Naruto. How can you not want her to follow her heart?"

"I wish I could, but Naruto is Lord Hokage."

"We side with Neji," Karin said.

"Traitors! I cannot let you do this. Forgive me, Neji, Sakura. Naruto! Lord Hokage! Sakura is being taken from you."

In a flash Naruto burst from the door. "Taken? By who?" he asked as if he didn't know.

"By her rightful fiancé. You cannot force her to love you!" Neji and Sakura ran away followed by all of Sasuke's men only Lee lingering.

"Go, I will bar the way."

"Out of the way, Lee, you dishonor us all by barring the Hokage from his desire."

"You must forgive me, Sasuke, but I will always come to Sakura's aide."

"Out of the way!" Sasuke pulled his sword. Lee was able to block Sasuke's blows with his arms and legs, but without any further skill in ninjutsu, he could not defend himself from Chidori. Lee fell dead at his feet.

"I will recover her, Lord Hokage."

"No, I don't need her. If she doesn't want me even now, then Neji can have her. I don't need her or you and your follows. You're all banished from Konoha from now on. Go away."

"Naruto?"

"Go!" Naruto turned to Itachi who stood by confused by the sudden strange events. "Itachi, you are more beautiful than Sakura and have proven more loyal to Madara than your brother to me or to the village. If being married to a man, a Hokage, is not disgusting to you, would you be my . . . wife?"

"I'm not sure about wife, but I will serve you honorably and with all my heart. Thank you my Lord Hokage."

Sasuke stood dumb as he watched the brother he so despised and hunted was elevated to mate and advisor to the Hokage. His friend. And to be banished.

Sasuke wondered out as Kakashi consulted with the elders. Not finding anything he could do to rectify the situation, Kakashi ran after Sasuke, but could not find him. He heard a commotion coming from the village gates. He hoped the renegades and Sasuke were there.

Sasuke's followers along with Neji, Sakura, and their followers were protesting at the gate. Kakashi tried to calm them and find Sasuke among them, but he wasn't there. And then he saw him. Sasuke was alone with his few possessions in a bag thrown over his shoulder, solemnly walking toward the village gate to begin his new exile.

"Sasuke." Suigetsu came up to him. "Come with us. If we cannot sway the people of Konoha to our cause, we'll establish a new village."

"Away, all of you; you have dishonored me. Because of your foolishness, my brother is now married to the Hokage. All my pains, all my deeds, all my training mean nothing now. You have all dishonored me."

"Sasuke," Kakashi said, "the Hokage doesn't have the right to take any bride he may demand; your followers are in the right. I and the elders will try to persuade Naruto to change his mind. I know he loves you as a friend and values you. He just needs to calm down and it'd all be alright."

Sasuke shook his head and resumed his way to the gates, the crowd parting in respect for him.

"What is this?" Naruto yelled at the assembly with Itachi at his elbow, Kabuto, Hidan, and Deidara behind him. "Do I have to suffer your rebellion, Sasuke?"

Sasuke stopped and turned to address Naruto. "Not mine, Lord Hokage. I go to my exile, these others are not mine."

"Lord Hokage," Sakura came up. "Naruto. Sasuke had nothing to do with this. He killed Lee, a faithful follower in protecting your honor. If you ever loved me, be friends again."

Itachi pulled Naruto back so he could whisper to him. "Sasuke gave you the mantle of Hokage. If you show so much ingratitude, his and Neji's followers will win over the village and they will cast you out. If you want to remain as Hokage, you must show mercy and forgiveness. Forgive him and Sakura and Neji. If you still want revenge for this insult, forgive them now and I'll make your vengeance our sport."

Naruto leaned back and considered.

_Banishment is too good for my brother_, Itachi thought. _If he stays in Konoha I can devise a worse punishment for him and with the Hokage's ear, I can execute it._

"Sasuke," Naruto called out with his hand extended. "Forgive me. You know I'm a short tempered idiot. And Sakura, forgive me. I shouldn't try to force you to love me. And Neji, as my dear Sakura's husband, how can I not love you. Sasuke, come here." Sasuke came up and Naruto embraced him. "How can I say mad? You brought me the guy I'm going to marry. You won't be dishonored in my village."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage."

"Naruto. Naruto to you, always." Naruto turned to Itachi. "Come, let's get hitched!" Itachi spared a mocking glance for his brother before following his lord.


	3. Hidan's Plan

Hidan sat on the balcony of the apartment he shared with Kabuto and Deidara.

"Now Itachi finds himself at the top of this village's tree. Safe from his brother's wrath and everyone who would despise him a day ago, courts his favor. With Madara gone, I should set my mind to climb up to his lofty bed. I will become his closest servant. He was a wanton among us before; being bound to this idiot Hokage will not change that. Ah, my nymph and siren. He will shipwreck this village now that he charmed their leader."

Kabuto and Deidara argued in the living room. His thoughts interrupted, Hidan decided to complete his prayers before bed.

"Sakura is the loveliest girl I've ever seen!" Kabuto yelled. "I will declare my love and win her for my wife!"

"What would she want with a four-eyes like you? I love her just as much as you, I will marry her!"

"You're almost as pretty as she is! She deserves a real man! Anyway, we're both medical-nin, I have a better chance than you! What do you have in common with her, shampoo brands?"

Hidan had had enough. He left off his Jashin devotions and stormed into the room. "What is all the noise about? You are in the Hokage's home! There are sure to be servants and guards who will hear you!"

"This girlyman thinks he can will Sakura when she's mine."

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Don't make me blow you up!"

"You try that and I'll sever every muscle in your body!"

"Enough! You think Sakura a slut? Or Hyuga a pimp? That you think you can talk about having her without consequences? Have you forgotten that Sakura is married to Hyuga Neji? Neji is a powerful shinobi from an old family here."

"So?"

"Yeah, so?"

"She is married already, neither of you can marry her. You risk your lives if this be heard. But do you really need to marry her? Wouldn't one night serve you?"

"I guess," Deidara said.

"Would it offend you to share her?"

"No, that might even be more fun."

"I think you're right."

"Itachi and our new lord desire revenge on those who shamed him today. I've already begun a plan to ensnare Sasuke's followers. I will let a prisoner go from the jails, the most dangerous I can find. Naruto will order Sasuke and his followers to recover him, being his best shinobi. Sakura is a medical-nin and will likely be brought along to tend to injuries. Neji will also be sent with them to use his Byakugan. These forests are vast and there are many places that are dark and secluded enough for rape and murder. Try to woo woo her, but I'll wager you'll have to take her by force. There you can kill Neji and have Sakura all to yourselves. What do you think?"

"Sounds like fun," Kabuto said. Deidara nodded agreement.

"Good. Now shut the fuck up, I'm praying!"


	4. Sasuke and Shikamaru

Warning: this chapter contains Yaoi content: Sasuke/Shikamaru.  
Absolutely nothing in this chapter is based in Titus.

—

Sasuke finally returned to the Uchiha compound. It had been so many years. And it was not as lonely as it could have been; his followers, most of whom had still been living with their families when they decided to join him, now took up, at least temporary, residence in the Uchiha compound. Neji and Sakura took the house next to his.

He lay in his bed just staring at the ceiling, trying to understand the last twenty-four hours. He gave up when his head started to hurt. Then he considered the future. He had to reestablish his clan. Karin was the best option. She loved him, but he was not in love with her. He found that was attractive enough. And she was practical, she would understand what many women couldn't.

That thing entered his room in a robe without knocking. Shikamaru took off his robe and threw it on a chair next to the bed and climbed in next to Sasuke, nude. He put his head on his shoulder and an arm over his chest.

It was Shikamaru who had led many of the young Konoha shinobi to seek out Sasuke and help him on his quest. Sasuke turned them away at first, at that point having killed Orochimaru and created his new team, Karin, Jugo, and Suigetsu. But Shikamaru had proved himself to be invaluable. They made the perfect team and Shikamaru was able to use every member of their platoon to their full advantage without losing a single person when they began their campaign against Itachi, Madara, and the Akatsuki. Then Shikamaru confessed why he came to Sasuke, out of love. Sasuke's love was born out of the respect he had for Shikamaru, but it grew to genuine affection.

"Strange day," Shikamaru said. Sasuke hummed his agreement. "How does Itachi find himself married to the Hokage? It's as if the world's turned upside down." Sasuke hummed again. "I am sorry I sided against you, but Naruto is a child who thinks that now he has authority, he's entitled to take what he wants. I wanted to defend your sister."

Sakura had taken Sasuke in when Itachi and Madara killed his family and she became a sister to replace the family he lost. When her parents were killed on a mission they had become even closer, becoming members of team Kakashi together.

"I thought Naruto would be more grateful," Sasuke said. "I gave him his dream when it was mine to take or give to Neji. I didn't realize how petty he'd become. I guess I expected him to grow up since I left. I hope I didn't make a mistake."

"Perhaps once he settles in to the job, he'll mature."

"I hope so."

"You're so tense." Shikamaru used the pad of his thumb to rub Sasuke's nipple. "After so many years of battle and training, this should be a time of peace. And pleasure." Shikamaru moved his head down to suck at the other nipple, drawing a moan from his stoic lover. Sasuke's hand went to Shikamaru's hair and pulled the tie from the ponytail, letting his hair spill down like the opening of a flower. He mused his hair as Shikamaru teased him. Shikamaru's hand slid down Sasuke's naked body to his growing erection and stroked him slowly; neither were in any hurry.

Once Sasuke started growling in the back of his throat, Shikamaru fished for a small vial of oil from his robe then pulled the sheets away and straddled Sasuke's hips. He leaned back to bath Sasuke's erection in oil before rising up and impaling himself on his cock. Sasuke put his hands on Shikamaru's hips to gently guide him, but Shikamaru didn't need much guidance. As Sasuke near his climax, he turned his attention to stroking Shikamaru's weeping erection.

They cam together. Shikamaru collapsed on top of Sasuke. As soon as they caught their breath, they kissed. Sasuke caressed his lover's long neck and rearranged Shikamaru's hair. He pulled away to look at his love. The last few years of battles had sharpened Shikamaru's face and left a few small scars, but still had an irresponsible air. It belied his mind.

Sasuke pulled Shikamaru's head back down to rest on his chest and stroked Shikamaru's hair.

"Shikamaru, you know I love you."

"Humm."

"But I have to revive my clan. I'm going to ask Karin to marry me." Shikamaru stopped breathing for a few seconds. "She's practical enough that I think she'll agree to this arrangement. I mean you and me. I'll choose you if she doesn't approve." Shikamaru breathed again. "Are you okay with it?"

"I know how important restoring your clan is. As long as I don't lose you . . ."

Sasuke kissed his forehead. "Thank you."

At least he surrounded himself with practical people.


	5. Itachi's Lovers

In this story I'm throwing out all the good things about Itachi and decided to make him more of a slut than he needed to be. If you know the play, Tamora (Itachi) has two lovers, Saturninus (Naruto) and Aaron (Hidan). Btw, I'm not REALLY into bloodplay, so . . . hope this _does it_ for you all.

Warning: this chapter contains foul language and Yaoi Itachi/Naruto and Hidan/Itachi (bloodyplay/light bondage)

—

It was anything but a secret among the Akatsuki that Itachi had been Madara's lover and that was one of the reasons he followed him and helped him destroy the Uchiha. Madara was an immortal to some extent, he aged very slowly and would never die of old age, but even he did not have the stamina to keep up with his young lover. Itachi had had sex with just about every member of the Akatsuki: Konan, Nagato, and Sasori being the only ones he didn't. Konan was too devoted to Nagato, Nagato wasn't in any condition despite his other bodies, and Sasori wasn't human enough anymore to feel it or desire it.

So Itachi showed no shyness whatsoever when he disrobed in Naruto's new bedroom in the Hokage building. His body was nearly scarless, at least by shinobi standards; few had ever been able to wound him. Most of the scars he had were from his more sadistic lovers; more often than not, Hidan. Naruto was fascinated by the lean muscular body. It was clear Naruto was virgin, though he might have just been nervous being with this Adonis.

Itachi came up to him and helped him remove his clothes. As Hokage, Naruto wore the white and red robes of state. The robes were quickly discarded on a dresser. Underneath Naruto still wore his black tank top and colorful boxers. _Such a child_, Itachi thought. Soon they were both nude save for their respective necklaces; the blue crystal and the three steel rings.

Itachi didn't waste any more time. He fell to his knees and took Naruto into his mouth. Naruto cried out in surprised pleasure. Itachi smiled, he knew Naruto was a virgin. At least Naruto had the sense to choose a lover who was experienced. Itachi saw no reason to drag this out and he started bobbing up and down Naruto's length, using his tongue and sucking at it fiercely.

Itachi took the vial of oil he brought from the nightstand. He kept sucking at the head while he poured some oil on his fingers then coated Naruto's erection. He pulled away and coated the head. He stood, kissed Naruto teasingly, pushed him on to the bed and straddled him. Itachi decided it would be best to let Naruto have some illusion of being the dominate partner by letting Naruto fuck him first. Itachi positioned himself over Naruto's hips and eased himself down. Itachi arched his back and put on a good show for his new lover; not to say he didn't enjoy it, but he wanted to give the virgin a show. As he arched back and stretched, Naruto could see Itachi's ribs and his lean muscle under his pale skin. Itachi pulled the tie from his ponytail and let his hair spill around his shoulders.

Being a virgin, Naruto couldn't last long. He came inside Itachi as he continued to roll his hips around him. Naruto sagged into the mattress. And fell asleep.

Itachi couldn't believe it. He got off the bed and put on a robe. Hidan's bedroom window was not far from theirs. So rather than risk being seen roaming the corridors, Itachi climbed out the window and made his way to Hidan's window. It was open. Hidan woke immediately. He smiled at the raven haired Uchiha.

"The little fucker couldn't handle you, could he?"

"Fell asleep."

"You're not that boring."

"Drained him."

Hidan got up and used chalk to draw the Jashin symbol around the bed. Itachi didn't exactly like the look of Hidan during this . . . ritual, so he was happy to keep the lights off, thought the moonlight made Itachi's pale skin seem to glow. He lay on the bed as Hidan picked out a kunai and some scarves he kept for this purpose.

"Don't bother with those," Itachi said.

"Impatient, kitten?" He brought them over anyway.

Hidan tied Itachi's wrists and ankles to the bedposts and straddled Itachi's waist. Itachi's erection, which had lost some of its hardness on his way here in the night air, hardened in anticipation.

"How do you plan of explaining your wounds to your Hokage?"

"Maybe we'll spar and let him win."

Hidan pushed the kunai slowly into the skin on Itachi's chest next to a scar until it broke the skin. He dragged the tip down, a trail of seeping blood in the kunai wake. Hidan brought the bloodied kunai to his tongue and licked the blood off the blade. Hidan's skin turned black with white skeleton-like strips. Everything Itachi felt, Hidan would feel as well and vice versa, both the pain and pleasure.

Hidan leaned over, repositioning his body, and lapped up the blood beginning to trail down Itachi's pale chest. Hidan was glad Itachi had the same bloodplay fetish as he did. To both of them, the very act of tasting and letting someone taste their blood was erotic. Hidan used the blood he caught with his figures to paint Itachi's areola a deeper red. With his tongue he wrote the complicated kanji for 'wanton slut' down the center of his chest. He lapped up more blood and kissed Itachi, letting him taste his own blood.

That wound had ceased to supply enough blood. Hidan used the kunai to cut a little deeper and scrape the clotting blood away, renewing the flow of blood and causing it to bleed even more than before. Itachi watched closely. Gathering more blood on his fingers, Hidan pulled away intending to use his blood-coated fingers to loosen Itachi's entrance.

"Already lubed?"

"Somewhat."

"Did he cum inside your tight fucking pussy?"

"Yes."

"Hmm." Hidan smeared the blood on his fingers on Itachi's thighs then lay between Itachi's legs. Itachi raised his hips to give Hidan better access. Standing and moving around allowed Naruto's cum to seep lower toward his entrance. Hidan pulled his ass cheeks apart and stuck his tongue inside. Itachi hissed with pleasure. Hidan licked and sucked until he most of Naruto's cum was in his mouth. He climbed up Itachi's body, careful not to smudge or smear the drying kanji on Itachi's abdomen, and forced Naruto's cum into Itachi's mouth. Itachi not only accepted it, but licked the inside of Hidan's mouth searching for more.

"Fucking cum-slut." Hidan sat on Itachi's waist again, gathered the blood on his fingers, and coated his own cock with the blood. Itachi watched with half lidded eyes as Hidan smeared himself with Itachi's blood. He repositioned himself between Itachi's bound legs and thrust in with no further preparation. Hidan was larger than Naruto, but Hidan was one of Itachi's regular lovers so it hurt, but just during the first penetration.

Itachi could feel his own body gripping Hidan as Hidan felt his cock hitting Itachi's prostate. Hidan's thrusts were only slow because he didn't want this ending too quickly for either of them. Hidan put his kunai to his own chest, the same place he cut Itachi and made a matching wound. Hidan hissed while Itachi growled in pain, but the pain did nothing to dampen their arousals. Hidan put his hand to his wound, mixing some of Itachi's blood with his, coating his hand with a thick coat of his blood. He leaned in to rub his blood soaked hand onto Itachi's lips. Itachi stuck out his tongue to taste it and closed his eyes. Hidan then ran his hand down the side of Itachi's face, smearing it with blood. Itachi's eyes opened again, his eyes glowing red with the Sharingan.

Hidan didn't realize until now how used to and turned on he was by those eyes. Until Sasuke smashed the Akatsuki, Itachi always had his Sharingan activated, but since then, he hadn't dared activate it. Hidan started pounding into his younger lover.

When one cam, it felt like the other did, and then they did. Hidan caught himself with an arm next to Itachi's side, propping him up so that he wouldn't collapse on his lover like a uke. He pulled out and his skin turned to normal.

Itachi lay under him trying to control his breathing and failing utterly. He gave up trying to control anything and groaned and writhed with aftershocks of a double orgasm. Hidan pulled at the bounds around Itachi's wrists, but Itachi didn't move once released.

"You just going to fucking lay there all night?"

"Yes."

"You're so fucking talkative, you cocksucking slut."

"Hmm."

"If you don't fucking get out of my bed, I will fucking sacrifice you. Jashin would love to have a fucking Uchiha as his own little cumslut."

"Is that the reward you expect: me as your slut for eternity."

"I won't die, you cocksucker."

Itachi smiled. "Your faith's been rewarded then." Itachi squirmed beneath Hidan erotically. Hidan took his kunai and stabbed him shallowly in the side of his ass, just missing the bone.

Itachi cried out.

"I untied you too soon, fuckslut."

Hidan fucked him again, getting off on Itachi's pain. And Itachi was enjoying it too. Hidan took the kunai away and put it in Itachi's mouth. Itachi sucked at the kunai as if it was Hidan's cock.

"Fuck," Hidan moaned watching Itachi's seductive face as he sucked his blood from the blade.

Hidan pulled the blade away and they just fucked, Itachi raising his hips to meet Hidan's. It took several minutes, but Hidan cam inside Itachi's lithe body. Itachi fisted himself to release while Hidan seemed content to ride out his orgasm without helping Itachi to his own.

"How can I get out of your bed with my legs tied and you in the way?"

Hidan sat up and got out of bed. Itachi untied one of his ankles while Hidan untied the other.

"Have Kabuto heal your wounds." That was about the most caring thing Hidan ever said to him.

Itachi left without another word and without resentment. Itachi didn't have to wake Kabuto as he was wakened by Itachi's cry earlier and was fisting his own erection while listening to their moans through the walls. If Itachi hadn't already been fucked three times tonight, he might have helped him with that, but he merely waited as Kabuto stared at his naked, bloody body and cam. Then Kabuto healed Itachi's wounds.

Itachi was back in Naruto's bed with a few more scars, but none that Naruto would notice.


	6. Sasuke and Karin's Wedding

Warning: this chapter contains Het Sasuke/Karin

Absolutely nothing in this chapter is based in Titus.

I'm am really working on this one, but I'm doing it out of order, so that's why updates are taking some time.

—

The next morning Sasuke sought out Karin. He explained his plan to marry her with the main intention of reviving his clan and that he was not going to break off his relationship with Shikamaru, even for a wife. Sasuke respected her and loved her to an extent. Luckily she and Shikamaru got along and worked well together. As Sasuke had thought, they were both pragmatic enough to agree with his plan and Karin agreed to marry him.

As with everything in Sasuke's life, the marriage was quiet and conducted in the Uchiha shrine where his bride had helped him sacrifice Madara's head and blood.

Sasuke and Karin wore traditional kimonos emblazoned with the Uchiha crest on their backs. Her uchikake kimono matched her hair and the color of her new husband's Sharingan with the black tomoe incorporated in the flower designs. The design was testament to the skill and speed of Konoha seamstresses, having only twenty-four hours to create.

At the reception, Sasuke followed every tradition, even the wedding cake, though he ate as little as possible because of his hatred of anything sweet, even suffered speeches and performances by his followers, and went to the trouble to light candles around the room and greet every guest, few as they may be, even his former enemies.

Naruto did not attend, but Itachi came with Hidan. Sasuke couldn't help narrowing his eyes at them as Itachi smiled at him. Sasuke felt a shiver of foreboding run down his spine.

Shikamaru was the only person to witness the actual ceremony, being the only family either of them had besides Itachi. He sincerely wished them well; he knew his place: he was first in Sasuke's affections. He stayed at the modest reception, which with Choji, Suigetsu, and Kiba turned into a wild party as soon as the ever sober Sasuke left. They didn't even let Itachi's presence keep them from having a good time. Shikamaru was too laid back to participate, but he kept his eye on Itachi.

Itachi was wise enough to keep his Sharingan deactivated while in the village, but Shikamaru could never trust that man. Itachi seemed too preoccupied by Hidan to cause any trouble anyway.

Kakashi let himself unwind, happy that his entire team was safely home in Konoha for the first time in five years. And all three were married in the last few days. Though he did not approve of Itachi or trust the man, he thought he might teach Naruto a thing or two about being a shrewd and mature leader; Itachi had been the second in command of Akatsuki for over ten years.

Suigetsu would have predicted Sasuke would have chosen Jugo as a lover before Karin or Shikamaru, but they were closer to brothers than lovers. Suigetsu would be forced to admit, if anyone actually bothered to ask, that he felt left out of Sasuke's family, but he would stay close to Sasuke as his lieutenant.

Neji and Sakura wore their wedding clothes again for this celebration. Neji looked dashing wearing his long hair in an elegantly tied topknot and a black montsuki, haori, and hakama. Sakura wore her white kimono and an uchikake kimono over it covered with her namesake. In the absence of the bride and groom, they were the most stunning pair in attendance.

After few more drinks to Lee's memory, the last of the revelers either dropped or were hauled home by friends or family. Itachi let Hidan lead him off, only then did Shikamaru leave to stay with his best friend Choji for the night. As apathetic he felt about Sasuke and Karin at this point, he didn't need to be around on their wedding night.

—

Before Shikamaru confessed his feelings for Sasuke, Sasuke had considered himself straight. All the souls of Konoha knew he could have been the center of the largest gay orgy in history in Orochimaru's lair, but he, threateningly, declined. Karin had been his first choice for reinstating his clan from the day he met her: she wasn't hard on the eyes, she was pragmatic in all things but her feelings for him, was strong, loyal, and he believed her talents and Kekkei Genkai would be a valuable addition to his clan. And since she helped him on his quest to destroy Akatsuki, he grew more and more fond of her. That is, when she wasn't badgering Suigetsu. At least Karin had stopped yelling at him quite so much.

Karin was surprised at how affectionate Sasuke could be. He was actually smiling at her when they were alone. It wasn't a wide smile, but it was more than she was used to from him. He gently helped her with her kimonos and the combs and decorations in her hair. He somehow made the simple, mundane, even annoying, task of removing all these ceremonial accoutrements romantic. It was his smile, sad as it may be, and his patient manner.

Down to a slip, she help him removed his silk kimonos. She could not hide a blush as he stood before her wearing only a fundoshi. He took her glasses off her face and kissed her. Besides with he and Shikamaru, neither of them had ever had sex. Her tough, irritable attitude evaporated.

As their kiss deepened, Sasuke lightly pushed the shoulders of her slip off her shoulder, letting the garment fall. Knowing Karin probably didn't know how to unwrap his fundoshi, Sasuke did it for her. If anyone needed proof he was bi, they had it. Karin moaned into the kiss when she felt his hard length press into her thigh and her breasts grazed his smooth chest.

His kunai calloused hands caressed her back and hips while she held her hands between them, wanting as much to push him away as pull him closer.

Sasuke took one of her offending hands and, disengaging the kiss, brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the hollow of her palm, which set her at ease and excited her. His tongue traced unintelligible kanji on her palm then moved to her delicate wrist where he could feel her pulse.

Watching his face was even more of a turn on than his actions. Sasuke's eyes were shut and his face was relaxed. Karin wanted to savor that image, but as he ran his teeth gently over that delicate skin, her eyes were forced shut. She opened her eyes when he stopped. He was looking at her with expectation and patience. She didn't want to say anything, not even sure she could force a word through her tight throat. But he could see her expression in the moonlight. He pulled her to the bed and lay her down on her back.

Karin's blush nearly matched her hair as he joined her. Sasuke kissed her and she ran her hands through his raven hair. Propping himself up on his knees and on hand, he let his other hand drift down her body with feather light caresses then back up to her breast. Sasuke broke off the kiss to suck at her nipple, her hands never leaving his hair.

After bringing her to moaning cacophony, Sasuke slipped further down, lapping at her taught skin and then dipping her tongue into her navel, a preview of things to come.

He skipped to her thighs and rubbed his face against her smooth inner thighs, his mouth tantalizingly close to her loins and his breath teasing her. He moved up and stuck his tongue between her lips. She gasped. She was positively dripping with anticipation. Sasuke lapped up some of her juices then sucked at her labia. Then he pressed his tongue in as deep as he could.

Karin cried out when Sasuke turned his attention to her clit, licking up it as he would Shikamaru's cock and teasing the tip. He sucked at her until he orgasmed, squirting her juices onto his face. She tasted much sweeter than Shikamaru, but that meant little to Sasuke who hated sweetness.

Sasuke crawled up her body and kissed her as he positioned himself at her virgin entrance. He eased into her gently until he hit an obstruction. He had to smile at the fact she lived so long in Orochimaru's Northern Hideout wearing those short shorts and showing off her navel and she was still a virgin. It said a lot for how formidable she really was in battle.

Just like he did with Shikamaru the first time, he tried to distract her with his kiss when he penetrated her. She moaned in pain. He didn't move, but kept kissing her. After a minute, he continued to press into her. He waited when their hips met, waiting for her signal to continue. She bucked her hips up, demanding he move. He obliged her.

It didn't take long for him to find her sweet spot. Seeing her lose it and orgasm around him let Sasuke cum deep inside her.

Afterward, Karin curled up next to him and dozed.

—

Oh my God! I've been reading and writing Yaoi so much, I'd forgotten how to write Het! A little Kratos/Raine and I'm better. Yeah, Yaoi's my forte. I was going to write a Neji/Sakura, but writing one Het is enough for me; Yaoi is just more interesting to me. Sorry my Yaoi friends, we get to some hot Yaoi sex soon. Complete unforgivable depravity in a few chapters too!


	7. History

Warning: this chapter contains Yaoi Sasuke/Shikamaru

Absolutely nothing in this chapter is based in Titus.

—

Shikamaru lay in bed hearing Choji's heavy breaths even through the walls. The sound was comforting. During the last year, the nine of them had slept in the same camps wherever they went. Now Shikamaru had Sasuke, though his gentle breathing was much quieter than what Shikamaru had grown used to. Sleeping alone would be impossible for him now.

He'd felt his own trepidation at the thought of coming back to the village. Sasuke had always known the consequences and never seemed concerned by them, but he had confessed while lying together that Sasuke was worried about the kind of reception he'd receive. He did destroy Orochimaru and the Sound village, obliterated Akatsuki, captured Uchiha Madara, a man who tried more than once to destroy Konoha, and captured his own treasonous brother, but he had voluntarily become a missing-nin and S-class criminal for selfish reasons: his own revenge. Sasuke deserved at least imprisonment. Having Kakashi, Neji, and Shikamaru's father among the top Jounin meant he was welcomed as a hero.

Shikamaru thought Sasuke's odds were good to be welcomed as a hero; he, however, had no such confidence in his own reception. He did leave to save and support a fellow Konoha shinobi after Naruto left with Jiraiya.

He'd lied when he said he didn't like Sasuke when he was appointed the leader of the original group to bring Sasuke back. Or rather, his dislike of Sasuke was born out of his jealousy and admiration of him.

After Sasuke had left the village and Shikamaru's mission was declared a failure, Shikamaru resented the Uchiha even more. And he couldn't stop thinking of him. He heard the whole story of the fight at the Valley of the End and about what drove Sasuke away to revenge from Naruto as he languished in his own failure. Shikamaru came to understand what drove Sasuke. Soon Shikamaru found himself dreaming of Sasuke. When he looked at the clouds, he saw Sasuke's pale skin. And raven's feathers reminded him of his black hair. They also had those emotionless black eyes. Shikamaru remembered seeing Sasuke's superior smirk and his imagination let it shift to softer, fonder smile. He was pleased to see that the real thing was more beautiful and that it was actually a thing possible to see.

When he found himself fantasying about what Sasuke would look like after three years and then undressing him in his mind, that was the final straw. It ate at him that his first mission as a Chunin and team captain was left unfinished. He asked all the former members of that team to come with him and find Sasuke, all but Naruto, who was still out doing his training with Jiraiya. Only Neji declined. His teammates TenTen and Lee took Neji's place.

But when they found Sasuke he was with his new team: he'd already killed his master, destroyed his pets, and was not very hospitable to the newcomers. And he was more gorgeous than Shikamaru had imagined. Though Sasuke was free of the snake, Shikamaru's mission had been to bring Sasuke home. They followed Sasuke and his team. The only one who would talk to them was Jugo; Suigetsu and Karin would sometimes yell at them to go away, but without permission from Sasuke, they would not attack.

Jugo told them about how Kabuto defected back to Akatsuki. Kabuto brought Orochimaru's severed hand with the ring on it and was rewarded with Orochimaru's place in Akatsuki.

Sasuke found Itachi and Kisame. Sasuke finally spoke to Shikamaru and his team for the first time since they met. He told them not to interfere. But while Sasuke was busy fighting Itachi, Kisame was overpowering Suigetsu and Jugo. Karin was staying back as medical support as Sasuke ordered. She really only cared about Sasuke anyway, but would save the others if they were injured, but she wouldn't disobey Sasuke and fight.

Shikamaru watched and could see Suigetsu and Jugo had no chance of surviving. He disobeyed Sasuke and his team of five moved in to defeat Kisame.

It was then Madara appeared and snatched Itachi in midair by the collar. "There are too many, even for you, love." And they were gone.

Sasuke cursed once then turned the most terrifying eyes on them. His Sharingan blazed and his chakra pulsed out in waves of malevolent energy, which, like Orochimaru's did in the Forest of Death, made every one of them see their own deaths by his hands. Shikamaru saw Sasuke use his Sharingan to weave between his shadow threads as he rushed toward him with the most frightening expression on his face. Chidori engulfed Sasuke's arm and it struck Shikamaru right though the heart. He felt the electricity tingle and burn while causing his muscles to clinch and release uncontrollably. Then there was nothing.

All eight of them stood absolutely still, literally scared stiff. Sasuke hadn't moved, but was still staring at them with pure hate and rage. Akumaru wasn't affected in the same way, but he cowered and hid behind Kiba. That broke Kiba out of his trance first. He felt to his knees with the power of Sasuke's chakra, the horrible verisimilitude of the vision of his own death, and the resulting nausea. One by one, they all fell, some vomiting, others chocking it back.

"Sasuke-kun," Karin choked out.

Sasuke's waves of chakra subsided and soon after, his faced eased to mere annoyance. He pulled his sword from where he stuck it in the dirt, twirled it, and sheathed it. He turned his back on them and stared at the point in space where Itachi disappeared. "Itachi's gone." They all looked up at him. "We know where some of their bases are. We will hit every one until we find Itachi."

It wasn't until he ordered Karin to tend to all their wounds that they began to understand 'we' meant all nine of them. If he couldn't trust them to stay out of a fight and they wouldn't go home, he might as well use them.

Four months of fighting Akatsuki lackeys and several of Nagato's incarnations brought them together as a team. They proved to each other they had valuable abilities and grew to trust those abilities.

Their team invaded Amega and defeated Nagato, Konan, and Zetsu thanks mostly to Sasuke's power, Karin's healing powers, and Shikamaru's analysis and strategy. During one of the multiple fights over the course of two months, Karin even leaped in to fight and protect Sasuke. Sasuke's greatest respect for her was born of that moment when she first disobeyed his orders to come to his defense. He batted her aside more gently that he might have usually, but she didn't realize it until he came up to her seconds later asking her if she was alright. That gave Karin hope that the day would come, when Sasuke would marry her. Even Shikamaru sensed it.

That fight nearly killed them all, except for Karin, who Sasuke ordered to stay out of it three more times, to only act as medical support. But healing all eight of her team nearly killed her, though she didn't let anyone suck her chakra; she would have let Sasuke, but he was not _that_ injured.

Not trusting the people of Amega to be smart enough to leave them alone, the group camped out on the plain with a constant watch. That watch was almost exclusively Sasuke. Injured as he may be, Sasuke sat at the edge of their camp and watched. Karin was better at that sort of thing, but she was exhausted from tending to the other's injuries and Sasuke let her sleep. Shikamaru watched as well; he watched for enemies and he watched Sasuke sleep, and he watched Sasuke sit with his back to them all as he kept his eyes on the plains.

Sasuke seemed to have only two emotions: calm and rage. Maybe annoyance. That smirk Shikamaru remembered was no where to be found. Sasuke seemed to have lost his smirking pride. It hurt to think that Sasuke was devoid of all other emotions. Shikamaru could be said to be devoid of emotions as well, but his problem was disinterest not deadness.

Was Sasuke really dead inside? Was he just waiting to kill his brother, then join his family? Shikamaru knew he'd fallen in love with the cold Uchiha. He wanted there to be something else for Sasuke in this life other than revenge.

They'd been camped out there for three days. Karin and the others were sleeping. Akumaru, the tenth of their team tried to approach Sasuke, but sensed it would do no good. Shikamaru watched Sasuke's unmoving body as Akumaru came to him instead. He petting the dog a bit, appreciative of the company; a dog's instinct after all was companionship. After a while, Akumaru returned to Kiba's sleeping side.

Shikamaru finally approached Sasuke. He sat down beside him and they looked in the same direction, seeing nothing in the moonless night.

"You never asked why we came?"

"I don't care."

"You're not going to ask about Naruto or Sakura or Kakashi?"

"If there was something I needed to know, you would have said something."

"I guess I would. Sakura is well. Naruto is off training with another of the Sanin, Jiraiya. The Hokage is training Sakura. Kakashi is the same, always late."

"I didn't ask."

"I know. But I figure you must feel something for your former team." Sasuke said nothing. "I was the captain of the team ordered to recover you when you first left. The rest of us stayed back to cover Naruto as he went on to find you and bring you home. We all failed. I don't like leaving anything unfinished. It's troublesome. I think Kiba and Choji feel similarly. Lee respects you. I think TenTen came only because Neji would not."

"Then this is not a mission."

"No. I guess we're missing-nins now too."

"Just to finish what you started nearly four years ago? You're reputation for strategy is failing you: little reward for becoming a missing-nin."

"Emotion does interfere with logic at times."

Sasuke's eyes shifted, but his body didn't move. His eyes returned to the plain. "I can understand that."

"Can you?" Sasuke's eyes shifted back to him for a few seconds again before returning. "Ah, like when Karin disobeyed you. Or when you took the time to check on her in the middle of a fierce battle."

"What emotion affected you then?"

Shikamaru took a few relaxing breathes. He might not know Sasuke very well, but he was excellent at analysis and observation; Sasuke would probably brush Shikamaru off and no more. But there might be a chance, just the smallest chance, that he might accept Shikamaru's feelings.

"Longing." The word hung between them. "Admiration. Jealousy. But ultimately . . . I want to bring you home and I wanted to prove myself to you."

"You don't know me, Shikamaru."

"What I do know . . . You may be right, but I couldn't stop thinking about you. I heard your story from your teammates. But you've changed. Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi probably don't know that man you've become, and since I know you mostly through what they've said about you, then I don't know you. I thought you should know our motivations." Shikamaru stood and prepared to go back to his place and sleep.

"As long as you fight for me, obey my orders, and do not betray me, I don't care what your motivations are."

"Karin disobeyed you; will you discard her? We five disobeyed you by stepping in during your fight with Itachi and Kisame; you took us in rather than discarding us."

"It's unfair to impose punishment before setting down the rules."

"We're all on notice then? Hmm. Sasuke, if you deaden your emotions, what will you feel when you do exact your revenge?" Shikamaru left him to sit alone again. Sasuke sat and stared for a long time, but he finally shut his eyes, fully understanding what Shikamaru was saying.

There would be no joy, maybe some relief, but no more. And what was left afterward? Restore his clan? Would it be worth it? Who would marry him? Who would be able to stand being in his company for a lifetime? How would his children look at him? He was destining himself to a lonely future with nothing but the sake of his clan. He thought of his distant father . . . life would have been intolerable, even with his mother, without Itach—No! Itachi was . . . Itachi . . . betrayed him. It wasn't rage that filled him, it was grief. The kind Itachi who carried Sasuke on his back and played Ninja with him had died at some point.

_Damn you, Shikamaru!_ He couldn't think about this, he couldn't give into emotion, he couldn't give into grief. A sob escaped him and he fought down the next. "Damn it," he whispered. Once Itachi was dead, he had nothing left to live for but to revive his clan. But what would that really mean to him? It would bring him no peace. _Why? I can't afford this . . . weakness!_

"It's not weakness." Sasuke whirled around to see Shikamaru standing behind him. "You need something real, something tangible." Sasuke's eyes were more human than he'd ever seen, wide and glistening with tears. "None of us can really trust you because you feel nothing for us; we're expendable in the end. You'll preserve our lives because you can use our abilities for your own ends, not because you care. Any lover you take will feel the same and you'll end up alone. Is that how you want to live your life? What's the point?"

"I can't afford—"

"You'll accept one or more of our deaths as necessary. I can't allow that. We may be missing-nins now, but Choji, Kiba, Lee, and TenTen are my team, I'm their leader. We're allied with you, but I can't hand them and myself over to you if you don't think our lives are not any more valuable than my shadow sewing, Kiba's beast mimicry, and so on."

"Then why stay?"

"It's a little hard to go home without completing this mission, being missing-nins and all. I wonder what your team's reasons are. Karin loves you sure and you're the only one who can subdue Jugo, but Suigetsu has Samehada, why does he stay? I just ask that you care if we live or die." With that Shikamaru left Sasuke again.

—

That morning Sasuke said he was going off alone for a while. Shikamaru insisted he at least take Akumaru, just in case. When Sasuke returned, he still looked calm, but it was a more genuine calm: the tension was gone from his shoulders and his brow. Whatever emotional breakdown he suffered while apart from them had done him good. Perhaps not in the end since he spared Itachi's life because of it.

Another five months of chasing Akatsuki and battling the remaining members until they retreated or Madara came in to save them. They also ran into their share of other missing-nins, bandits, and other undesirables. It was during these battles that Sasuke began to show more concern for his comrades.

One night Sasuke pulled Shikamaru aside and thanked him. "My anger is no longer welling up ready to break like it did when you saved Suigetsu and Jugo from Kisame."

"I'm glad. I've never felt that kind of killing intent before."

"And I've been thinking about what you said."

"Everyone's noticed I think and they trust you more. Your orders are more likely to keep us alive than before."

"No. I mean about why you're here."

Shikamaru didn't really react. "It's troublesome, forget about it."

Sasuke frowned. "Troublesome indeed. It's kept me up at night. Have your feelings changed?"

"I'm afraid so." Sasuke sagged almost imperceptibly. "I'm afraid they've grown. I love you."

"I suppose that good then."

"What?"

Sasuke grabbed Shikamaru by the back of the neck and pulled him to his own lips. Shikamaru was surprised, but eased into the kiss. Sasuke let him go when he felt Shikamaru unable to breathe.

"You've earned my respect. And I will return to Konoha. With you." It was as close to a declaration of love he was going to get from Sasuke at that point.

They returned to the group immediately. They did nothing else for several days, not until the group found a cave to sleep in. Sasuke and Shikamaru waited until the others were asleep and slipped out into the forest.

Practical men like them took precautions in a very businesslike way. Shikamaru set up a perimeter of wires and thinner wires, a trick he learned during the first mission to bring Sasuke home. Those wires would alert them to intruders if tripped. Sasuke sent out snakes to patrol as well. With that he took his sword off his back and placed it where he could grab it quickly. Shikamaru unrolled a mat on a clear, flat area.

The two of them stood with their backs to each other. Shikamaru took off his vest, the packs from his belt, and the pack from his leg then his shirt and pants, leaving him wearing only the thin crosshatch armor shirt and pants over his boxers. He looked over his should to see Sasuke's back.

He was untying the thinner purple rope that replaced the one Orochimaru gave him. The dark gray wrap nearly fell away, but Sasuke caught it and pulled it away to reveal the leather belt with its pouches and scrolls hidden beneath in the wrap. The belt and its equipment were the next to go. The black open front shirt fell from his shoulders, was caught, and thrown on top the rest. Sasuke's back was scared, but it was not as scared as one might expect. Someone or something had racked his back with three points and there were punctures and burns, but they were all well healed and only left a slight discoloration. The belt allowed the loose pants to fall and Sasuke striped the tighter black pants, leaving him in a black fundoshi and the leather gloves that covered arms and the back of his hands. That was easily discarded.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder catching Shikamaru staring. Shikamaru looked away and stripped off his own armor. His body was much more scared though Sasuke had been through far more battles and more rigorous training. Shikamaru was almost more ashamed of his scars than he was to be seen naked by Sasuke. He heard Sasuke turn and turned as well. Sasuke was beautiful. The few scars he had were very faint. He was gorgeous. Whatever Sasuke thought about him, he never found out, and Shikamaru wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Sasuke was by nature more private, but less shy. He unwrapped his fundoshi. Shikamaru swallowed. Was he ready for this? With a not a little embarrassment, Shikamaru slipped his boxers from his hips. The wrap around his waist that covered two wounds was a comfort; Shikamaru didn't feel as exposed as he was.

Sasuke came closer and put a hand to Shikamaru's face. "You're supposed to be the laid back one."

Shikamaru smiled and so did Sasuke. Sasuke pulled him in for a kiss, their growing erections touching as their lips met. Sasuke worked the tie out of Shikamaru's hair. He pulled back.

"You're beautiful with your hair down."

Shikamaru blushed. Sasuke kissed him again, musing the severe ponytail out. Shikamaru started to get over his nervousness and put his hands on Sasuke's waist then let one of his hands go to Sasuke's erection. Sasuke moaned and couldn't help thrusting toward Shikamaru as he stroked him.

Sasuke pulled away after a minute. He laid Shikamaru down, he being the shyer, leaving Sasuke to take the initiative.

Sasuke grabbed the small bottle of massage oil he'd set aside when Shikamaru wasn't looking and moved down to take Shikamaru into his mouth. Shikamaru let out a guttural moan that made Sasuke smirk that familiar, superior smirk as he sucked gently on the head. Shikamaru nearly cried out when Sasuke's tongue lapped at it. He pleasured the head until Shikamaru was nearly pleading for him to do more. Shikamaru looked down at him and couldn't believe how sexy Sasuke looked. Now that Sasuke had his undivided attention, well, perhaps a little divided, Sasuke moved down, taking more of his cock into his mouth. Shikamaru could only appreciate the sight for a few moments before the pleasure forced his head back and eyes shut.

Sasuke poured the oil on his fingers and teased Shikamaru's opening. After a while, he eased one finger, then two, into him and scissored, loosening him up.

"It might be easier if you turn over."

Shikamaru need a moment to interpret his words, then he obeyed, getting up on his knees and elbows. Sasuke coated his erection and eased the head inside Shikamaru. He leaned forward and reached around and stroked Shikamaru as he pressed in. Shikamaru put his head down on the pillow and tried to relax. When their hips met, Shikamaru let out a long breath, and Sasuke leaned further forward so that he nearly lay on top of him. He kissed the flesh before him and that helped relax Shikamaru. Sasuke waited patiently despite his own desire.

"You okay?"

Shikamaru nodded, but said nothing. Sasuke waited. Finally he breathed Sasuke's name. Sasuke started slowly and gradually increased the pace, ready to stop if Shikamaru said anything, but Shikamaru just moaned and rocked back to meet Sasuke's thrusts.

It seemed like a cruel thing to do, but just as Shikamaru got comfortable and started to get into it, Sasuke pulled out. "Turn over."

Shikamaru was a too confused to be angry. He complied. "I seemed to be doing more work here."

Sasuke smiled and reentered. Rather more out of retaliation for the comment than out of altruism, Sasuke hit Shikamaru's prostate head on with the first thrust. With Shikamaru loosened up and obviously enjoying himself, Sasuke abandoned restraint. He came down to kiss Shikamaru as he mercilessly plowed into him. Shikamaru raised his hips up to meet Sasuke's. He pulled his lips away to breathe. Sasuke let him go for the same reason.

Sasuke's heavy breathing turned into gasps as he neared his climax. Shikamaru showed his proximity by the whispered curses that were being pressed out of him with every thrust.

Shikamaru nearly screamed out Sasuke's name as he cam between them. Sasuke lost it seconds later, seeing no reason to hold back any longer. Sasuke braced himself and wouldn't let himself collapse as Shikamaru did. He laid rather than fell next to Shikamaru and put an arm over him.

"That was incredible," Shikamaru said as his breath came back to him.

"Yeah." Sasuke kissed his boney shoulder. "I love you, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru was a few seconds answering. It was the first time he'd heard that, the first time he'd heard Sasuke say it. "I love you more than anything."

"You abandoned the village for me. I know how hard that is. But I don't think I appreciate just how much you love me. But I love you."

Shikamaru turned and kissed his new lover. "I left more than the village behind. I don't think I'll ever be welcomed back to the village. I didn't come out here to bring you back, I came to join you."

"You lied."

"Yeah, I did. Once this is over, I'll stay with you and send the others back if you don't want to go back."

"No, I'll go back. You're completing a mission, they'll take you back, or they won't want either of us back. We'll convince them to take the rest of them back, but then we and my team will leave. You might have to watch your back with Karin though."

Shikamaru laughed lightly and pulled Sasuke closer to spoon him and Sasuke complied.

They didn't mean to fall asleep. Jugo came looking for them before dawn. The snakes let him pass and he walked slowly, avoiding every one of the warning wires. He found Sasuke spooning Shikamaru on the forest floor. The smell of sex was strong in the air. Sasuke was content enough not wake up when he felt Jugo's presence. He took Sasuke's shirt and wrap and draped them over the pair as a blanket.

Jugo dismantled and gathered all the trap wires and replaced them in Shikamaru's pouches to save the pair time.

"Sasuke," he said just before dawn. Sasuke woke up and merely narrowed his eyes at Jugo. Shikamaru squirmed. "It's nearly dawn, we should get back."

Sasuke smirked and woke Shikamaru. The three of them returned before the others woke. Jugo told no one about that morning and the pair did not advertise they had become lovers. They tried to avoid any displays of affection, but it soon became impossible to keep their new relationship a secret. It was never mentioned or referred to. The only one who really cared was Karin, but Sasuke kept her close and that was enough for now if he was happy with Shikamaru.

_And now he's married to her._ Shikamaru smiled. He knew Sasuke's feelings more than any other; he was the one who dug them out of Sasuke's heart.


	8. The Hunt

I don't write Het, except when I have to, in my novels. So I do gloss over the rape.

Oh, yeah, there's rape in this chapter, it's a gangrape.

—

Sasuke felt refreshed the next morning and uncharacteristically slept in with Karin. Several of the revelers were renewing the festivities in the house Suigetsu and Jugo were sharing next to Sasuke's. Sasuke and Karin joined them. Only Kiba and TenTen showed any signs of a hangove

"Isn't it early for new-married ladies to be out of bed?" Suigetsu teased Karin.

She belted him, turning his face to water. For once Sasuke smiled. There was something less malicious in both of them this morning. Shikamaru had to wonder when he saw Sasuke so content. But Sasuke came over to him and kissed him deeply. "Don't worry. I'm relieved to be home and finally be on the way to reviving my clan. If I could have Itachi's blood to drink and Lee here with us, I would be truly happy. She won't supplant your place in my heart, love." Sasuke gave him another brief kiss.

They all relaxed until just after noon when Izumo and Kotetsu hurriedly went door to door looking for Sasuke.

"Sasuke-sama, the Hokage is summoning all of you. An S-rank criminal has escaped the Konoha prison. The Hokage wants you, Sasuke-sama, Kiba, Neji, Karin, and Kakashi to help search and wishes the rest of you follow."

Sasuke ran back to his house and got ready; all the others followed his lead. Sasuke led his people to the Hokage mansion.

"Sasuke," Naruto called him to him. "Chiron Demetr, an S-rank criminal escaped. Your people and Kakashi are our best trackers. We will come with you," Naruto said gesturing to Itachi and the other former Akatsuki.

"Lord Hokage, you should stay in the village," Sasuke argued.

"My brother is correct, my lord," Itachi said with a purr.

"I never realized becoming Hokage meant I couldn't leave the village." Sasuke didn't let this thoughts come to the surface. "Well, then go on, Itachi, in my place."

Sasuke once again struggled to not let his emotions show. He was dismayed; he did not trust Itachi and his cohorts out in the forest not under guard.

Sasuke took the information on their target and led his men out, staying close to Karin and Shikamaru. Itachi and co followed.

Once outside the gates, Sasuke split them up into teams. "Shikamaru with me. Kiba, Karin. . ." Sasuke couldn't help but think of protecting his legacy, "go with Suigetsu and Jugo." Akumaru came up to Karin and seemed to be reassuring her. "Choji, TenTen. Sakura and Neji. Kakashi, you work better with no one to slow you down. Itachi, you might as well stay with your minions." Itachi smiled and nodded. "Kiba and Karin with Suigetsu and Jugo as guards, you are the sensor vanguard. Shikamaru and I will command. Choji and TenTen, you are our strength. Sakura, our medical-nin, Neji rearguard and her guard. Itachi, you have your genjutsu, your own medical-nin and two strong shinobi, a good compact team. Kakashi you and your hounds are enough a team. We'll spread out to search more thoroughly; we can't rely purely on Kiba and Karin. Signal if you find him."

With a hand single the teams parted. Itachi and his group lagged behind. Itachi used his time-space jutsu to transport them to where Hidan left Demetr bound well beyond Sasuke's groups. Itachi looked in Demetr's eye to completely incapacitate him.

"First, let's deal with Neji and your Sakura."

—

Itachi and Hidan waited for Neji and Sakura along their path. Kabuto and Deidara waited further on, but within sight. Hidan hid a bag of Fire Country money under a lightning struck tree.

Hidan sat down on a log next to Itachi. Hidan pulled the tie from Itachi's hair and brushed it out with his fingers. For all the violence of their love life, they could be affectionate. With Madara dead, Itachi clung to Hidan next. Hidan was in awe of the Uchiha. Itachi was stately, regal, and majestic. He wasn't the strongest of the Akatsuki physically, in fact he was one of the weakest when it came to muscle. But he was even more powerful than Madara.

Hidan may have been a replacement for Madara, but Itachi was affectionate, and vicious, by nature.

"My lovely Hidan. You don't look happy. We can . . . entertain each other for a while."

"My amours little raven. You should know by now that I'm never truly happy unless inflicting pain, in killing my enemies, or," Hidan stuck a kunai shallowly into Itachi's shoulder, "torturing my lover. But we can't have sex now, my little cocksucker. It's death today." Hidan became businesslike.

Itachi leaned into him, scooping up some of his own blood on a finger and feeding it to Hidan. Hidan sucked at that finger and was lulled into sucking and tonguing that finger as if it were another appendage.

Itachi pulled his finger away and pulled back, his Sharingan activated. "We've been seen."

"I told you to stop, slut."

Neji and Sakura approached.

"A slut indeed." Neji surprised them both with his knowledge of what Hidan had called Itachi. They realized he hadn't heard, but read his lips.

"Naruto would be interested in how you're spending your time, Itachi," Sakura teased. "Spending your time with an Akatsuki from a defunct village. A foul Jashinist. They say husbands with sluts for wives grow horns. I hope Naruto doesn't look in the mirror this morning and I'm glad he didn't come out to the forest today; some hunter might have mistaken him for a stag."

"I'm sure Naruto will want to know of this. I may not approve his trying to take Sakura as his wife against her will or letting you lot live, but I respect him and he is the Hokage."

"You should be more thankful to your noble brother and to your lord; they both spared your lives and look where you are now. To betray Naruto like this and abandon your brother to hunt this criminal alone . . ."

"I would say not to let us interrupt your 'sport,' but I don't think any honorable girl of Konoha should witness your foul . . . affections."

"Why do I have the patience to bear this?" Itachi whispered. Sneering at Neji and Sakura, "Those 'foul affections' are the same my brother, your brother too, has for his tramp Shikamaru."

"At least he doesn't flout his affections for Shikamaru and run around behind his back."

"But he's married to Karin. Isn't my brother a bad I am?"

"He doesn't hide anything from Karin or Shikamaru," Sakura defended her adopted brother.

"But he fucks them both."

Neji put up a hand to stop Sakura from responding. "By the way," he said to Itachi, "your trash are hiding in the trees over there, probably looking for a good show."

Hearing this, Kabuto and Deidara came out and approached. Sakura stepped behind Neji.

"Why do you look so pale, love?" Deidara said as he came up behind Itachi and bent down to kiss him on the cheek.

"You foul adulterer!" Neji accused. "Just how many lovers do you have behind his back?"

"Don't you think I should look pale?" Itachi said ignoring Neji's righteous indignation. "I'm tricked to coming to this place by these two to be assassinated by the great Hyuga Neji. They taunt me and tell me how horrid this place will be as the place of my death. They call me adulterer and lascivious Uchiha. They even impugn my valiant little brother. Revenge it, as you love me, or I'll never come to your beds again."

"I'll prove my love for you, love, nh," Deidara said as he advanced.

"I'll prove my allegiance and love to you as well," Kabuto said.

"Sakura, get out of here, go to your brother," Neji told her.

"She runs, we'll go after her," Hidan said, gesturing to he and Itachi.

"I'm not defenseless," Sakura said. "I'll fight with you."

"No! Stay clear."

Neji avoided Itachi's eyes and Sakura also kept her eyes from him. They did not see his handsigns. Neji concentrated on the two Akatsuki before him and stayed aware of the two who just sat there watching; otherwise he let his defense fall. He fought well against Deidara and Kabuto, his gentle fist cut through Deidara's clay like Sasuke's Chidori, but he was well matched against Kabuto who could use his chakra offensively like Neji, he just lacked the vision to see fine targets.

As they parted to rest for a moment breath before the next exchange, Neji was still and a kunai flew straight into his back through his one blind spot. Neji fell to his knees, blood fell down his chin. Sakura screamed. Two more dug deeper next to the first. Neji looked up, certain all his enemies were in front of him. The Itachi setting next to Hidan turned to ravens flying away.

The real Itachi walked up from behind him and pulled one of the kunai from his back and came round to face the knelling Hyuga.

"The advantage of being married to the Hokage," Itachi said. "He doesn't think of hiding anything from me. Not even documents even ANBU should never see. 'Hyuga Neji, a perfect defense except one spot behind the first thoracic vertebrae.' With my Sharingan it's an easy matter to spot the cone of your blind spot and send a dozen kunai through it."

Itachi tossed the bloodied kunai to Hidan. Hidan had already drawn his Jashin symbol in the dirt and licked the blood from the kunai. His skin turned black with white abstract bones. Neji knew he was beaten.

Sakura rushed Hidan with her chakra concentrated in her fist. Hidan dodged, stepping out of the circle. Kabuto caught her and stood her to watch her husband's death. Hidan took his spear and was about to impaled himself.

"Stop, Hidan!" Itachi held out a hand to enforce the command.

Sakura sagged in relief, hoping that Itachi had come to his senses.

Itachi took out a scroll. "We'll use this. I stole it from TenTen."

"It wouldn't be the first time you impaled me from behind."

"Sorry Hidan, not today."

"Ah, fuck. Son of a bitch Itachi, I was all fired up. I'll need to kill someone."

"Later, Hidan, later."

"Fuck! Just get it over with quickly."

Itachi came behind Neji who could barely move. Itachi opened the scroll and Neji knelt there without moving. A large number of weapons flew into Neji's back. Neji bowed and coughed up blood. He fell forward, dead.

"No!" Sakura sobbed. "Sasuke! Sasuke! Help!"

"Sasuke is at least three miles away. He'll not come to help you. At least not in time."

Sakura put all the chakra she could harness into her feet to escape, but Kabuto hadn't lived with Orochimaru all the those years without learning something. Two white snakes appeared and bound her.

"Itachi, please, for your brother's sake, let me go."

"We can't very well let you go."

"Naruto is so taken with you that he won't hear a word against you. He married you despite all objections; I can't say anything to him. I'll keep your secret. I won't say anything about this. Please, Itachi. If you ever loved your brother—"

"I can't say that I did."

"Have you any pity at all? Please Itachi."

"That brother murdered Madara in the streets. He would not be so merciful to him; I shall not be merciful to him or his people. He made his own older brother beg in the streets like a common whore and he proudly murdered my lover and drank his blood! Don't speak to me about pity!"

Kabuto, Deidara, and even Hidan cowered under Itachi's anger. Itachi was like his brother, emotionless, calm, and never raised his voice. In that, Itachi was more stoic than his brother. Itachi's fury frightened them all.

"Blame the Uchiha rites, not Sasuke. He was doing what he believed was right."

"I so shall I," Itachi growled. "Do what you want with her."

Sakura understood what they meant to do with her by the lures on their faces. "No, Kabuto, please. You were kind to us during the Chunin Exams. You've been living too long with that snake and this raven. Please, let me go."

"I was Orochimaru's even then, it was an act and I would not shame my dearest raven by disobeying him."

"The worse done to her, the more I know you love me," Itachi pronounced.

"Itachi please, kill me with your own hands. Isn't that enough offence done to your brother? He loves me so that my death by itself will drive him mad. Please Itachi, some pity. Be a charitable murderer."

"And rob my friends and lovers of their prize? I might even join in if I feel like it after they've had their turns."

"No, Itachi, please!"

"I do not hear you."

Kabuto tried to tie her hands, but her control of chakra was good enough to cut the rope around her wrists. Kabuto grabbed her hands again. Hidan motioned for Deidara to hold her legs. Hidan straddled her and pulled out a kunai.

"I've we can't tie your hands."

"No!" Sakura screamed.

Hidan took one and sawed through the skin and bone, Sakura screaming all the while.

"Gag her," Itachi said, "she'll attract attention too soon."

Kabuto did as Itachi ordered while Hidan completed his task. He motioned for Kabuto to move his hand and Hidan pushed Sakura's own hand into her mouth. He cut off her other hand, then got off her.

"Make it quick." Hidan sucked at the severed wrist, drinking the blood. He went over to kiss Itachi.

Itachi pulled away. "Don't make too much of a mess."

"You can say it's Demetr's." Itachi let Hidan kiss him with his blood soaked mouth.

Kabuto struggled with Sakura's handless stumps as he pulled up her hot pink dress.

Deidara used a kunai to cut away the rest off Sakura's clothes. Because Deidara was in the best position, he went first. The mouths on his hands sucked and bit at her breasts as he thrust into her.

Hidan and Itachi were concentrated on each other, ignoring Sakura's muffled screams and whimpers. Deidara didn't take long and Kabuto replaced him while Deidara took over holding her down. Hidan and Itachi turned to watch as Kabuto finished. Hidan took his turn. Finally Itachi took his turn with the now motionless woman.

Itachi was respectively gentle. He caressed her face when he straddled her. She opened her eyes. She was held by his Sharingan, but he didn't put her under any genjutsu. She didn't make a sound when he raped her, at that point she may not have even really felt it after being raped three times already. When he pulled out, she was in a daze.

Itachi stood. Hidan licked the blood from the skin on Itachi's thighs. Once Hidan finished, Itachi adjusted his clothes. "Now kill her. If she speaks, she may undo us all. Once you do that, Deidara, take this letter to the Hokage and beg him to come seek me out. Hidan, go find Choji and TenTen and lure them here. I will get Demetr and kill him nearby then go join my brother and tell him we killed him and bring him this way to see."

Hidan and Itachi left.

"Why do we need to kill her?" Kabuto said. "I know what will make Sasuke suffer more."

"But Itachi said she shouldn't be allowed to tell anyone about this."

"So we make sure she can't speak." Kabuto took out his kunai, motioned for Deidara to pull her mouth open, and he grabbed her tongue and cut it out at the root. "Without hands or a tongue, she can never reveal who did any of this."

Sakura coughed up the blood that started to seep down her throat.

"Ha! Now go tell your brother who cut out your tongue and raped you."

"Use your jutsu to heal yourself and write down our names."

"Go home and call for water to wash your hands."

"Oh, but she doesn't have a tongue to call with or hands to wash."

"If I were you, I would go hang myself."

"If you had hands to tie the rope."

Deidara nodded to Kabuto and held up the letter Itachi gave him. "I'll bring Naruto out here."

"I'll catch up to Itachi."

Sakura was left by herself. She wanted to lay down and die, but she forced herself to her feet, pulling at her clothes with her stumps. She wept further in frustration. She walked away still in a daze.

—

You can't believe how difficult it was to write this scene; it's been holding up the entire story. It was how to separate people. And I needed to keep everyone in play. Not to mention I suck at writing ninja battles, I'm a sword fighting kind of writer.

Yeah, other than Mizuki, I couldn't think of a good cannon character for the bait so I used the names of Tamora's sons.


	9. Betrayal

Hidan led Choji and TenTen to the place where Itachi killed Neji. "Itachi was fighting him near here."

"Wait, what is that?" TenTen said when she saw Neji's body. "Neji!" She and Choji ran to him. Hidan smiled and retreated to meet up with Itachi.

"How could anyone kill Neji?" She picked up the kunai Itachi had thrown to Hidan. "It looks like someone took his back."

"Could he have met up with Demetr before Itachi and his group found him."

"I don't trust Itachi." She looked around to see that Hidan was gone. "Where did he go?"

"Maybe to get help."

"You're too trusting, Choji. I know it wasn't the sight of blood."

"Maybe he fears he'll be blamed, no one trusts him, right?"

"But look at this, Hidan doesn't kill like this."

"Where's Sakura?"

"Maybe she went for help, or she's injured or dead somewhere nearby."

"Let's look."

They slipped into the woods just as Hidan pointed them out to Naruto. "I just saw two people flee into the tree line over there."

"I saw them too," Naruto said.

Naruto stood with several ANBU acting as his guards. He'd found Itachi with Sasuke and Shikamaru as they were going to where Itachi said he fought Demetr.

"This is where you found the note?"

"Yes," Itachi said. "I had just finished off Demetr and was coming this way to find one of the other groups to let them know. I found it discarded over there." Itachi pointed a little further off to the left.

Hidan came up to the lightning struck tree and searched around it. "This looks like the tree mentioned in the note. Ah! Here's the fucking money." He threw it to Naruto.

"We must find Neji before the murderers do."

"There's something lying over there next to the tree line where those two figures were," Sasuke pointed out.

They approached and recognized Neji's long hair before they could see a portion of his face. "Damn it! Neji was one of best shinobi!" Naruto yelled.

TenTen and Choji returned at the sound of familiar voices.

"You two," Naruto accused. "Why did you flee when we came?"

"We didn't see you, lord Hokage. We were looking for Sakura. We found Neji and knew she was with him."

"Sasuke," Naruto growled, "two of your follows run from us when found with his body, they killed Neji."

"No, we didn't," Choji protested. "Hidan was leading us to where he said Itachi was fighting Demetr."

"You're not saying Hidan or Itachi had anything to do with this!"

"No, lord Hokage," TenTen said. "But he knows we weren't in this area until he brought us here."

"I was looking for you and for Neji and Sakura, but couldn't find any of you fuckers. So I followed Itachi to find Sasuke."

"Liar!"

Itachi went over to kneel next to the discarded scroll. "Look at this."

"TenTen, isn't that one of yours?" Naruto accused.

"It does look like one of mine."

Itachi unrolled it and read the jutsu. "It's a weapon summoning."

"No one else out here today uses weapon summoning," Naruto said.

TenTen couldn't deny that. "Someone must have stolen one of mine."

"A likely story. Bind them!" One of Naruto's ANBU guards did as ordered.

Sasuke came forward. "Lord Hokage, I cannot think that they would do such a thing. TenTen was on the same team with Neji for years, she trained with him since they left the academy. And Choji is the kindest man I know; he would never kill a comrade."

"They obviously did it. I thought you were supposed to be a genus! Even a fool like me can see they are guilty. Take them away. Anyone who speaks with them will be executed along side them." Naruto stalked off.

Sasuke looked at them, but dared not speak.

"Sasuke," Itachi said as he came up to put a hand on his shoulder. "I will talk to Naruto. I know your people didn't do this. I will convince him."

Sasuke uttered the words he never thought he ever would, "Thank you, Itachi. I will be forever in your debt."

Itachi followed Naruto. Shikamaru stood by thinking, but he could not think of anything useful to do or say, but nod in sympathy to Choji then put an arm around Sasuke.

"Come, don't stay to talk with them or we'll be next. We'll collect Demetr's body and then go plead with Naruto."


	10. Kakashi Finds Sakura

Kakashi hated to use his Sharingan, so he searched for Neji and Sakura without it. He heard that something had happened with Choji and TenTen from Kiba, but Kiba didn't know much, just that the only members of the group who were not accounted for were Neji and Sakura.

Sakura was still walking aimlessly through the trees, her clothes clutched against her chest. Kakashi saw her light skin in the darkening forest and approached her. She was startled and hid behind a tree.

"Sakura?"

Even realizing it was Kakashi, she still hid herself behind the tree.

"Sakura, why are you hiding? Where's your husband?"

Sakura fell to her knees and hugged herself, hiding her naked and abused body, but her raw wrists were plain to see.

"If I'm dreaming, that all the jutsu in Konoha would wake me. If this is real, some assassin strike me dead right now. Sakura, tell me, who did this to you?"

Sakura sobbed and cried out, opening her mouth, letting blood fall down her body.

"Sakura." It pained Kakashi greatly to see his brilliant student in this state. He knelt down next to her, taking his rain cloak off and pulling her to him. She cried into his chest. After few minutes he slipped her dress over her head and wrapped his rain cloak around her.

"Come. This will make Sasuke blind. No, don't pull away. It will blind him with tears and rage, but nothing can be done to change that. We will comfort you. I wish our comfort could ease your misery."


	11. Sasuke's Pleas

This the chapter I wrote the closest to the original play. I sat with the play open next to me and I think it came out well. Hope you agree.

—

Sasuke walked backwards in front of the village elders and Jounin as they led TenTen and Choji to their execution. "Elders, Jounin, hear me! Stay! For any pity you have for me who threw everything away to avenge a clan of Konoha and rid her of her greatest enemies, hear me!" Sasuke fell to his knees. "For these tears I shed, be pitiful to my condemned friends and followers!"

The procession filed passed him, but he continued to plead with his palms flat in the dirt, looking down at the ground in supplication.

"Let the earth drink their fill of my tears so it cannot drink the blood of my friends! Their blood will make it blush in shame!"

The procession was gone and Sasuke knelt on the ground alone.

"O earth, I will be more of a friend than the clouds have ever been. From these eyes which only twice before shed tears before will give you more water than April showers and will still nutritious you in the dry summer. And in winter I will melt the snow with my hot tears and support the grasses of the spring all year long if it will glut you so that you cannot hold a drop of my friend's innocent blood."

Shikamaru walks up behind Sasuke, but Sasuke does not notice him, but continues to plead.

"Elders, peers, friends! Unbind my friends and reverse their sentence, or give it to me! And let it be said by one who never shed a tear in public that they are now prevailing orators!"

Shikamaru knelt next to him. "Sasuke-kun, you beg in vain. No one is here but you and I. You plead to a stone."

"Shikamaru, for our comrades, let me plead. My friends, once more hear me plead!"

"Love, no one hears you."

"It doesn't matter. If they heard me, they would not acknowledge me, and if they did, they would not take pity on me. But I must plead even to the stones. Stones cannot answer me, but they are better than the elders since they will stay and listen. They accept my tears and seem to weep with me. The stones become my comfort and will not offend me of their own accord while the elders and their sycophants do men to death with words." Sasuke sits back and looks at him as Shikamaru stands.

"Why are you armed?"

"I tried to save TenTen and Choji. For my attempt, the elders have pronounced my banishment."

Sasuke stood and took Shikamaru's face in his hands. "O happy man! They have taken pity on you! Haven't you noticed, that in the time we were gone from Konoha it had become a wilderness? A wilderness of tigers. Tigers must hunt and there is no prey but me and mine. Be happy to escape them." Sasuke kissed him briefly on the lips and embraced him.

His head being against Shikamaru's shoulder, he saw Kakashi approach. He had his rain cape wrapped securely around someone walking slowly next to him and he kept a protective arm around his companion.

"Who is this with Kakashi?" Sasuke and Shikamaru parted and stood abreast.

"Sasuke-kun." Kakashi said as he stopped a few paces away. "Brace yourself for heartbreak. Here is a grief that will utterly consume you."

"Will it consume me? Then let me see it."

Kakashi slowly opened the cape to show Sakura, handless, her clothes stained with blood. "This was your sister."

"So she is, sensei."

"Sakura!" Shikamaru could not contain his grief and horror. He collapsed to his knees. Sakura started to weep again.

"My fainthearted friend. Get up." Sasuke's voice was even but trembled slightly with grief and growing anger. "Sakura, tell us who did this. Who decided to pour more water into the sea or fan the hurricane to make it howl the stronger? I thought my grief could not get any worse and now you break the bounds of my grief. Shikamaru, fetch my sword and I'll cut off my hands too. I fought to free Konoha of all threats and avenge it as well as myself and it was all in vain. I protected the leaders of this village only so they could feed on my life and everything I have ever loved. These hands have served me to no profitable end. The last thing I ask of them is that one will cut off the other and that one I will gnaw off if I cannot hold a kunai in my teeth because of pain! It's just as well Sakura that you have no hands, they only work against our own lives."

"Sakura, who did this?" Shikamaru asked.

"Whoever took her hands, cut out her tongue as well," Kakashi said.

"Then you tell me, who did this?"

"This is how I found her, as timid as a wounded deer."

"My deer. And he that hurt mutilated her has hurt me more than if he stuck a burning kunai into my chest. Huh. I'm waiting for these waves of grief to pull me into the undertow and drown me. My dear friends and schoolmates have just now been taken to their deaths, my lover here is banished, my sensei stands here weeping for my sake. But my dear Sakura . . . A child's drawing of this sight would have driven me mad. What can I do when I see the real thing? No hands to wipe your tears, no tongue to direct our revenge, your husband murdered, and our friends, TenTen and Choji, are condemned to death for his murder."

Sakura's eyes widened and fell to her knees with new tears inspired by her friends' fate.

Kakashi knelt down next to her. "Do you cry because you feel betrayed by them? Or because you know they are innocent?"

"If they did it, rejoice: you are revenged. But they would never do such a thing." Sasuke knelt in front of Sakura, tilted her face up gently, and kissed her chastely on the lips. "Give me some sign of how I can help you." Sakura looked back down to the ground where her tears collected into a puddle smaller than the whole in the middle of a shuriken. Sasuke leaned his forehead on hers. "Should we all find a fountain and stare into it, filling it with our tears. Shall we cut off our hands and bite out our tongues and wail in the streets and mime our sorrows to the rest of the village as they pass us by? What should we do?" Sasuke wept with her for a minute. Sasuke leaned back and put a hand to her moist cheek. "No. We who have tongues will plot our revenge. We will show the meaning of revenge to everyone who survives and to history."

"Sasuke, stop. You're not helping."

Shikamaru took out a handkerchief and knelt with them and wiped Sakura's cheeks.

As they crouched together, Hidan approached. Kakashi noticed him first and stood. Sasuke and Shikamaru also stood and turned to face Hidan, standing in front of Sakura as if they were protecting her.

"Uchiha Sasuke, the Hokage has been told of your petitioning and has said that if any of you three chop off your hand and send it to him, he'll return your followers to you."

"O Naruto, you can be benevolent." Kakashi and Shikamaru looked at Sasuke as if he had lost his mind. "I'll send him my hand. Hidan let me use your weapon!"

"Love, no. I'm more adapt at strategy, I can spare my hand."

"Sasuke-kun, it's my fault that Naruto turned out this way, let my hand pay my fault."

"Come on, decided whose hand will go," Hidan said. "Your followers will be dead if you wait too long."

Kakashi took out a kunai and prepared to cut off his left hand, but Shikamaru caught his hand and tried to take the kunai. Seeing the two of them struggle might have actually brought a smile to Sasuke's face, out their love for him and the ridiculousness of the situation, if it weren't for his grief and resolve. He walked up to Hidan, knelt before him, and nodded for Hidan to use his three-bladed scythe. Hidan brought the blade down on Sasuke's wrist and Sasuke did not make a sound, merely wincing.

The sound of the blade biting earth brought Kakashi and Shikamaru back to their senses.

"Take my hand to Naruto," Sasuke said, his voice weak with pain. "Remind him of the dangers it spared him from. And tell him it's a low price to buy my friend's lives." Sasuke picked up his own white hand offered it to Hidan.

"I'll do so." Hidan took the kunai-calloused, but still delicate looking hand. "Your followers will be returned to you soon." He turned and left thinking, _At least their heads will be returned to you._ He laughed silently.

Sasuke ripped his shirt and held it to his bleeding stump to stanch the blood. No one said a word.

Sakura stood carefully and came to Sasuke's side to kneel with him. Sasuke looked at her with a pained smile. He put his whole arm around her shoulders and pressed his bleeding limb to his chest, trying to will his blood to stop flowing. She sighed, trying to force her sobs away. "Let it out. You and I can create a hurricane of sighs when the winds die and water lilies to place on Neji's grave."

"Sasuke," Kakashi pleaded. "Stop it, don't make yourself cry more."

"If I had hurt Naruto or committed some crime that warranted these punishments, then I could stop my grief; I would accept my punishment in silence. When the wind blows on the sea, doesn't it rage, destroying any ships fool enough to cross it? I am the sea and Sakura's sobs are the wind! I'm the earth and if it could drown me I'll ask Sakura to weep like the clouds and drown me! If I could die here, I would die gladly!"

Izumo and Kotetsu approached them carrying cloth-wrapped objects in their arms. They looked sick and grieved. "Sasuke-sama," Izumo said, "the Ho—Naruto dishonors your friendship and send back your hand with scorn." They both pulled the cloth wrappings from what they carried. One held TenTen's head and the other Choji's, Sasuke's hand next to it.

Shikamaru turned, fell to his knees and began weeping at his best friend's death, the grief and horror mixing until it made him vomit.

"What Naruto has done kills me more than when my parents died," Izumo said.

"He may be Hokage, but the village's hearts are with you," Kotetsu added.

Shikamaru raised himself up, but would not turn to see the severed extremities. "What sin did we commit and when did we die and enter Hell?"

Sakura kissed Sasuke's cheek.

"I'm sorry Sakura," Kakashi said, "but that kiss can give no comfort to him."

"When will this nightmare end?" Sasuke whispered just loud enough for them all to hear.

Kakashi lost all patience. "You are not sleeping, Sasuke! You've lost everything! I won't try to comfort you now; rage! Don't keep it in! If any man had a right to rave it's you, Sasuke! First your family slaughtered, your brother's betrayal, then the years held prisoner by a snake, the years of training and fighting! Only to come home and have four friends killed, your lover banished, your sister mangled, and your closest friend betray and hold you in such contempt! Why are you so quiet?"

Sasuke might have been sobbing quietly, but it grew into a hearty laugh.

"Why do you laugh?"

Sasuke laughed a little more before he stopped, his expression sober. "Because, sensei, I don't have any more tears to shed. Anyway, tears are my enemy, they blur my vision. If I can't see clearly, then how do I find the path to revenge? The heads of my friends stare at me and seem to promise me that I will never know comfort again until I cram these deeds down the throats of those who committed them: Naruto, Itachi, and Hidan."

"And I doubt Kabuto and Deidara are innocent in all this either," Shikamaru said. He turned just enough to keep the heads out of his line of sight.

Sasuke nodded. He stood and helped Sakura up. Sasuke put a hand out. Shikamaru stood and came up to take that hand. Kakashi took the hint and approached as well.

"I swear to you three here that I will right these wrongs. Kakashi, take a head, I'll take the other." Izumo and Kotetsu handed the heads to him. "Sakura, you can carry my hand in your arms." Kotetsu put the hand against her chest and she used her arms to hold it there.

"Shikamaru, my love, get out of here, you're a banished man. Go to Suna, to your friend Tamari and to Gaara. Gaara may respect Naruto, but he and I also shared mutual respect and understanding. Explain Naruto's ingratitude and the situation; I think they'll side with us and help us." Sasuke stepped up to Shikamaru and kissed him despite the remnants of vomit on his lips. "I don't know when I'll see you again. I love you."

"I love you, Sasuke."

"Go."

Shikamaru ran out of the gates for the three day run to Suna. Izumo and Kotetsu left the three remaining in peace.

"Come, let's give these two a proper burial."


	12. Trust

Warning: this chapter contains Yaoi Itachi/Naruto  
Absolutely nothing in this chapter is based in Titus.

—

"And there was your brother, weeping over what we did to Sakura. So I told the little cocksucker, that Naruto would return his followers if one of them cut off their hand!"

Itachi laughed. "And he believed you?"

"They all did. Kakashi and Shikamaru start arguing, fighting over a kunai to cut off their own hands! Then Sasuke just come over to me and kneels down in front of me—you have no idea how satisfying that was. He nods and I used my scythe to cut off his hand! I'd have brought it to you, but I thought it was a greater insult to send it back."

"Like when I cut off his master's hand; he took it with him. Let him enshrine his hand like his master did."

"So when Naruto sent his followers heads to him, I had his messengers take the hand and told them Naruto sends it back in contempt."

They laughed and Itachi pulled Hidan to him. Itachi kissed him twenty times, rubbing himself against him.

"If I weren't married to that child I'd let you carve your name into my flesh for this."

"If you weren't married to the Hokage I would carve more than that on you."

"Like what?"

"'Slut,' for one."

"Hmmm. Painting it on me isn't enough? At least you can do that over and over again."

"True." Hidan started kissing Itachi's chest above the hem of his shirt.

Itachi pulled him up. "Not tonight, love. I've got to please another lover tonight."

"That little fucker."

"Some other time."

Hidan moved back and sat down sneering. "I should go find a sacrifice since you didn't let me kill anyone today. Should I hurry in case you finish with him early?"

Itachi picked Hidan's scarves from his dresser. "No, not tonight." Itachi left.

"Fuck." He leaped from his window to seek a sacrifice.

—

Itachi had let Naruto feel more in control of their relationship until now. Now he wanted to show him the type of sex he was used to. Naruto was all too eager and stripped immediately; Itachi did not. He maneuvered Naruto onto his back on the bed and straddled him, still fully clothed. He took out the scarves with a bit of flair. Naruto looked a little apprehensive.

"Trust me," Itachi cooed. He kept his Sharingan from activating to assure Naruto he was not being controlled. Naruto relaxed and allowed Itachi to tie his wrists together and tied the result to the iron wrought bed frame above Naruto's head. He decided to leave Naruto's legs free; easier to turn him over. "You can get free if you really want to." Naruto didn't test his word, trusting his lover.

Itachi was amazed how much the trust Naruto was putting in him meant to him; Naruto had no reason to trust him and every reason not to. But there was trust in his eyes.

That trust turned Itachi's plans. His lovers always let him do what he wanted, even if he was supposed to be a sub. Even Hidan never truly dominated Itachi; he let himself be dominated because that was what he wanted. He could be vicious to Hidan on occasion; the man had the scars to prove it. No one dared cross him since he could send the other into a world of pain that was debilitating for weeks. They feared him, they respected his strength, they let him do what he wanted, they liked what he did to them, but none of them truly trusted him. But this boy did. Somehow that trust sparked something in Itachi he hadn't felt since he was very young; he felt responsible to uphold that trust. And he felt guilty. It was a feeling totally foreign to him, but he felt guilt for running off to Hidan. He and Madara had been in love, but it was rather twisted, even in Itachi's opinion. What was this?

It took his a few moments caressing Naruto's bronze skin to realize all this. He looked Naruto in the eye, "You are a remarkable man." Naruto grinned proudly thinking it was physical praise. "No, I mean, I don't want to hurt you. That's not normal for me." Itachi kissed his trusting blonde lover.

Itachi stripped in the most seductive way he knew, which was adding a match to a burning house as Naruto was already practically supporting Itachi's back with his erection. The last thing he removed was the tie from his long hair. He shook it out and turned his sexiest expression on the boy and rolled his hips to rub his ass on the hard-on threatening to stick him in the back. At that, Naruto had to shut his eyes and just feel Itachi's smooth, but unlubricated, skin rubbing him.

Itachi moved between Naruto's legs and let a little of his sadistic self out to stab at Naruto's slit with the tip of his tongue. He prodded the shaft with the tip of tongue and grazed it with it's rough surface until neither of them could stand it. Itachi grabbed the base and lowered his head onto Naruto's cock, letting it spread his lips, knowing Naruto was watching intently. If it hadn't been for the pressure Itachi was applying, Naruto would have cum at the sight. As Itachi pulled back, he let the saliva run from his lips, coating the shaft in an utterly obscene way. Itachi adjusted to use his free hand to spread the saliva thoroughly as he sucked on the head.

He watched Naruto squirm as he suckled.

"Itachi, please," Naruto begged.

Itachi's restraining hand went down to massage Naruto's balls as he sucked with greater vigor. Naruto cumed in Itachi's mouth. Itachi crawled up Naruto's body to kiss him and feed his own cum to him. Naruto accepted it. Itachi had to smile at how easily Naruto was taking to Itachi's little kinks. Itachi pulled back, letting the cum link them for a few seconds.

"Turn over," Itachi instructed. He helped position his lover. Itachi gently caressed the muscular form before him. Naruto squirmed with embarrassment and pleasure at the tantalizing touches. Itachi replaced his fingers with his tongue. After tracing an abstract map on Naruto's trembling ass, Itachi gently pulled his cheeks apart and lapped at the puckered entrance. He lapped, then stabbed, then applied his lips to the surrounding rim. His tongue darted inside and wormed at deep as he could reach.

"Itach—" Naruto didn't know if the pleasure could override his embarrassment.

Itachi withdrew and applied oil to his fingers and pushed in slowly, letting Naruto adjust the invading appendage.

"Relax," Itachi cooed. He rubbed his cheek against Naruto's hip, letting his tongue dart out and taste the paler skin. "It won't hurt as much if you relax. It won't hurt for long at all. And then it will feel wonderful, trust me." Itachi felt Naruto relax at the last. The boy really trusted him. "I can help you relax," he offered.

"No, I can do it." Naruto was finding it hard to speak. "I don't want you wasting your eyes on something like this. I can do it."

Naruto could feel Itachi's smile against his hip. "It's not a waist."

"I'm okay."

Itachi smiled again and pushed in passed his second knuckle. As lithe as Itachi may be, his fingers were calloused from kunai and shuriken and were not as thin and delicate as one might expect. Itachi pulled his finger out and pressed in with a second finger. He curled his fingers to stroke Naruto's prostate. Naruto cried out from the unexpected and previously unknown pleasure.

"What was that?"

Itachi hummed. "Did you like it?"

"Damn it, yes," he hissed.

Itachi loosened Naruto up before slicking his own length. He took his fingers away before pressing the head of his cock at Naruto's entrance.

"Relax, the pain is temporary."

Naruto nodded and Itachi eased in. Itachi never went this slowly for anyone, not that any of his lovers inspired any kind of gentleness, but he did now. Finally fully engulfed, he waited for a signal from Naruto. It came with an impatient grunt.

Itachi pulled out and pushed back in slowly for the first three strokes, then sped up. Any concern to not harm Naruto disappeared after that. Naruto didn't seem to mind as he pushed back to meet Itachi plowing hips. Itachi had the stamina of an Uchiha and of a man very much experienced in sex and Naruto had his own stamina reserves in addition to the fact he'd already cum once tonight. It became a complete rut. Itachi grabbed both of Naruto's shoulders to pull him back against him harder.

Naruto's grunting turned to pleads to fuck him. Itachi leaned down over him and bit his shoulder. He put his fingers in Naruto's mouth and the boy sucked and tried not to bite down on those fingers.

Soon they both cam hard, Itachi deep inside Naruto's body and Naruto on the sheets beneath him. They fell down together. Itachi began to roll off the younger man's body, but Naruto grabbed him. "No, stay like that." Itachi settled back down. He felt Naruto fall asleep under him. Itachi pulled at the cast aside sheet and pulled it over them, lying his thin body over Naruto's again.

—

I totally did not intend to make Itachi in anyway sympathetic, this all just evolved out of the writing. But it makes sense in the context of Titus since you begin with sympathy for Tamora who pleaded for the life of her eldest son only to have him butchered. A little 'sympathy for the devil' if you will. Having said that, I must emphasize, I do love Itachi very much. Btw, I only wrote this scene in order to have a little more sex between Itachi and Naruto.


	13. Killing a Fly

Karin, Jugo, and Suigetsu were waiting for Sasuke at his home; Kiba and Akumaru had gone home. At seeing the state the Sasuke and Sakura were in, Jugo urges to kill bubbled to the surface, but Sasuke caught his eye. "Calm down, Jugo." Jugo returned to his normal self and apologized. "We all feel the same."

Jugo left to bring Shizune and Ino to help Sakura and Sasuke while Kakashi told Karin and Suigetsu the story. Karin listened while trying to contain her rage; Suigetsu just stood there sucking at his water bottle without expression.

Karin's first instinct when the story was done was to lavish comfort on Sasuke, but his eyes were distant and he did not look like a man who needed comfort, but space. So she turned her attention to Sakura, helping to clean her up since Sakura had no hands to do it herself.

Suigetsu and Kakashi decided independently that they would best be employed at the moment preparing food, especially since they would be having guests. Kiba arrived after he and Akamaru smelled the oozing blood coming from Sakura and Sasuke's wounds as they were on a walk. Akumaru went to Sakura and tried to comfort her; his honest affection soothed her. Kiba meanwhile found it hard to restrain himself when he was informed of the day's events.

Jugo, Shizune, and Ino arrived. Shizune with her greater experience tended to Sakura while Ino tended to Sasuke.

Once the two of them were healed and bathed, they joined the rest for supper. Karin and Sakura sat on either side of Sasuke. Jugo, Suigetsu, Kiba, Shizune, Ino, and Kakashi were arrayed around the table as well. There was food in front of all of them, but no one ate. The normally laid back Jounin and Kiba sat with crossed arms.

"Kakashi, Kiba, relax. Sakura and I have but one hand between us and can't brood as you do. I have only one hand to beat my chest, mad with misery and hollow." Sasuke spoke calmly which contrasted eerily with his words.

Sasuke turned to Sakura and tried to feed her, but she shook her head. He offered her water and she shook her head again. As he put down the glass she ran her handless arm over his and began to sign.

"Look," Sasuke said with a little wonder in his voice, "I can interpret her signs. She says she drinks nothing but the tears that run down her cheeks. Oh, my sister, I will learn to read your thoughts."

"Someone tell a joke," Suigetsu said in the silence.

"Peace, my friend. You are made of tears and will melt your life away."

"What?" Suigetsu wondered if Sasuke had finally lost it.

Some around the table began eating. Kiba broke the silence again by hitting the table.

"What are you striking at?" Sasuke asked.

"Just killing a fly."

Sasuke threw a piece of bread at him. "Get out murderer! You kill ime!/i All I see around me lately is misery and tyranny! The killing of an innocent does not become a friend of mine! Get out!"

"It was just a fly."

"What if that fly had a mother and father and a brother or a sister? How they would hang their gossamer wings in grief and buzz lamentations. He came here with his buzzing to make us happy with music and you killed him!"

"He's lost it," Suigetsu whispered.

Kiba thought fast. "It was a black fly with a red mark, like the Akatsuki, that's why I killed it."

"Oh! Forgive me, Kiba, for scolding you. You've done a charitable deed." Sasuke picked up his knife and came around to Kiba and started stabbing the already dead fly. "That's for Hidan and that's for Kabuto, and that's for Deidara, and that's for Itachi!" Sasuke stabbed it more times for Itachi than the others.

Suigetsu watched Sasuke's eyes, not his hand. Sasuke's eyes sharpened for a moment in a way that reminded of Sasuke in his heyday of slaughtering the Sound Village holdouts and the Akatsuki.

"Ha! We've not been brought so low that together we cannot kill a fly that comes in an Akatsuki robe. Come Sakura, let's go read sad stories. One of you . . . Jugo, come with us. You can read to us when our eyes fail."

The three of them left. "Poor Sasuke, he's so grieved he takes shadows for the real thing," Kakashi said.

"I didn't think his sanity was that fragile," Ino said.

"It isn't," Suigetsu said and sucked at his water bottle. "Sasuke's had his heart ripped out and stomped on. He's not as cold as he's let on—I blame Shikamaru for thawing out our Ice Prince—and he's dealing with it. Watch, he'll devise a wonderful revenge. It's been his business for over ten years."

"You were the one who whispered that he'd lost it."

"I saw his eyes. He knows what he's doing. He's planning. We'll get to bloodletting soon."

—

The line about 'you are made of tears' being directed at Suigetsu (who is not crying) was just a little joke to amuse me since he's made of water.


	14. Gaara

Hidan led Choji and TenTen to the place where Itachi killed Neji. "Itachi was fighting him near here."

"Wait, what is that?" TenTen said when she saw Neji's body. "Neji!" She and Choji ran to him. Hidan smiled and retreated to meet up with Itachi.

"How could anyone kill Neji?" She picked up the kunai Itachi had thrown to Hidan. "It looks like someone took his back."

"Could he have met up with Demetr before Itachi and his group found him."

"I don't trust Itachi." She looked around to see that Hidan was gone. "Where did he go?"

"Maybe to get help."

"You're too trusting, Choji. I know it wasn't the sight of blood."

"Maybe he fears he'll be blamed, no one trusts him, right?"

"But look at this, Hidan doesn't kill like this."

"Where's Sakura?"

"Maybe she went for help, or she's injured or dead somewhere nearby."

"Let's look."

They slipped into the woods just as Hidan pointed them out to Naruto. "I just saw two people flee into the tree line over there."

"I saw them too," Naruto said.

Naruto stood with several ANBU acting as his guards. He'd found Itachi with Sasuke and Shikamaru as they were going to where Itachi said he fought Demetr.

"This is where you found the note?"

"Yes," Itachi said. "I had just finished off Demetr and was coming this way to find one of the other groups to let them know. I found it discarded over there." Itachi pointed a little further off to the left.

Hidan came up to the lightning struck tree and searched around it. "This looks like the tree mentioned in the note. Ah! Here's the fucking money." He threw it to Naruto.

"We must find Neji before the murderers do."

"There's something lying over there next to the tree line where those two figures were," Sasuke pointed out.

They approached and recognized Neji's long hair before they could see a portion of his face. "Damn it! Neji was one of best shinobi!" Naruto yelled.

TenTen and Choji returned at the sound of familiar voices.

"You two," Naruto accused. "Why did you flee when we came?"

"We didn't see you, lord Hokage. We were looking for Sakura. We found Neji and knew she was with him."

"Sasuke," Naruto growled, "two of your follows run from us when found with his body, they killed Neji."

"No, we didn't," Choji protested. "Hidan was leading us to where he said Itachi was fighting Demetr."

"You're not saying Hidan or Itachi had anything to do with this!"

"No, lord Hokage," TenTen said. "But he knows we weren't in this area until he brought us here."

"I was looking for you and for Neji and Sakura, but couldn't find any of you fuckers. So I followed Itachi to find Sasuke."

"Liar!"

Itachi went over to kneel next to the discarded scroll. "Look at this."

"TenTen, isn't that one of yours?" Naruto accused.

"It does look like one of mine."

Itachi unrolled it and read the jutsu. "It's a weapon summoning."

"No one else out here today uses weapon summoning," Naruto said.

TenTen couldn't deny that. "Someone must have stolen one of mine."

"A likely story. Bind them!" One of Naruto's ANBU guards did as ordered.

Sasuke came forward. "Lord Hokage, I cannot think that they would do such a thing. TenTen was on the same team with Neji for years, she trained with him since they left the academy. And Choji is the kindest man I know; he would never kill a comrade."

"They obviously did it. I thought you were supposed to be a genus! Even a fool like me can see they are guilty. Take them away. Anyone who speaks with them will be executed along side them." Naruto stalked off.

Sasuke looked at them, but dared not speak.

"Sasuke," Itachi said as he came up to put a hand on his shoulder. "I will talk to Naruto. I know your people didn't do this. I will convince him."

Sasuke uttered the words he never thought he ever would, "Thank you, Itachi. I will be forever in your debt."

Itachi followed Naruto. Shikamaru stood by thinking, but he could not think of anything useful to do or say, but nod in sympathy to Choji then put an arm around Sasuke.

"Come, don't stay to talk with them or we'll be next. We'll collect Demetr's body and then go plead with Naruto."


	15. Philomel

Shikamaru sent Sasuke a message that Gaara agreed to help them, but also said that it would be months before help was sent. Sasuke was disappointed, but he took it in stride. Sasuke and his friends remained sequestered in the Uchiha compound. The people of the village said Sasuke had gone mad. Only a few like Kakashi, Izumo, and Kotetsu ventured into the village for supplies. Sasuke was wealthy and supported everyone. Naruto and Itachi assumed that Sasuke was too broken to be any trouble and Itachi was satisfied with the suffering he caused in his little brother.

But there was also good news for Sasuke: Karin was pregnant. It was the one thing he could hold onto until Shikamaru returned with reinforcements from Suna. It had been nearly nine months since they came home and Karin was nearly due.

Sasuke sat next to the small pond behind his house. He had recovered from the worst of his grief. Karin sat next to him while he played with her dark pink hair. He had considered sending her to Suna under Kiba and Suigetsu's protection; she might pound Suigetsu into a puddle in the meantime, but Suigetsu had proven he was loyal to Sasuke. He would send Jugo, but it was probably best to keep him on a short lead.

Speaking of Jugo. "Sasuke," he said in his low voice, "I think Sakura wishes you to read this book." Sakura stood next to Jugo, urging Sasuke to take the book Jugo held. Kakashi was sitting nearby and came over to hear.

"What book is it?" Kakashi asked as Sasuke took the book from Jugo.

"'Metamorphoses,' by Ovid," Jugo said.

Sasuke opened the book and started turned the pages leisurely. Sakura got down on her knees and used her handless arms and mouth to turn the pages. When she found the page, she hit it with her arm four times.

"Philomel," Sasuke said. "She was raped. That was the motive of all this? They killed Neji and cut out your tongue so you couldn't tell us who they were and cut off your hands so you couldn't write or use your jutsu. Who was it?"

Sakura waved her arms in frustration that she had no way to tell.

"Sasuke, your sword," Kakashi said. Sasuke took it from where it leaned against his chair behind him and gave it to Kakashi. He didn't unsheathe it. Crouching in front of Sakura he laid it in the crock of her neck and put her arms against the sheath. "If you know his name, write it in the dirt here like this." He helped her write a single character then cleared the ground for her to write.

Karin stood and Sasuke leaned forward. Sakura used the sword to write 'Kabuto.' Sasuke made a fist. Sakura motioned for Kakashi to clear the ground again. He did. 'Deidara.' Sasuke bit his lip letting a drop of blood fall down his chin. 'Hidan.' Sasuke's knuckles popped with the force he used to clinch his fist. 'Itachi.'

Sasuke stood and used his handless left arm to whack his chair, sending it flying into the wall. Sasuke screamed; it was more of a roar that they were sure could be heard in Suna. No one moved or said a word. Sasuke also did not move, just stood there looking at the wall.

Then Sasuke huffed a small laugh and looked up. "It's all my fault; there's no reason to roar at the heavens. It's all my fault and I will right all these wrongs." He looked over at Sakura with an incredibly sad smile. "No more simply waiting for Shikamaru and Suna to come right our wrongs. I will fire the opening shots of this battle. I'll strike Naruto to the heart and kill my brother myself."


	16. Itachi's Pain

Warning: this chapter contains Yaoi content: Madara/Itachi and Itachi/Naruto.

—

"You've been avoiding me," Hidan said to Itachi. "You've only come to me a dozen times since we came to Konoha."

"It's not easy to sneak around on the Hokage with all his ANBU around. I get away as often as I can."

"Deidara and Kabuto say you haven't fucked them in months."

"I choose who I take risks for."

Hidan smiled at that; it was an evil and possessive smile, but . . . "How about tonight?"

Hidan pressed Itachi against the wall. He raised his kunai. Just then the door behind Hidan opened and Naruto entered. Hidan whipped his head around to see who was intruding, a biting insult prepared for Kabuto or Deidara, but it died on his tongue when he saw the Hokage. Itachi shoved him away. With his kunai drawn and Itachi pressed against the wall, it looked like Hidan had cornered Itachi and was threatening him.

"What is this?" Naruto demanded. "Hidan! After I spared you, how dare you threaten my lover."

Hidan was close to laughter.

"Naruto, don't," Itachi warned. "Even Sasuke couldn't kill him. He is truly immortal."

Hidan turned, looked into Itachi's cold eyes. He understood that Itachi was always willing to cut his losses, but it still stung. He scowled and escaped through threw the window.

"What was going on, Itachi?"

"I thought it was obvious, Hidan was threatening me."

"What did he want?"

"What he's always wanted from me. He's been wanting me from the beginning, but Madara kept him at bay, and until now, you have."

"I'll send all my ANBU after him!"

"No. He is the only one I don't think you or all of Konoha can kill. I cannot, nor could Sasuke. You'll have to suffer him to live. He'll not come back here." Itachi caressed Naruto's face and trailed his fingers over his lips. "I'm high on adrenaline, I want you, my white knight."

It took plenty of kissing and rubbing their bodies together to get Naruto's attention off Hidan and lure him back to their bed.

Itachi's thoughts went back to the last lover he lost as he lay on his back, Naruto fucking him for all the boy was worth.

It had been some time after dawn and Itachi was asleep on his side next to Madara. Madara woke up and turned to his young lover. They both knew Sasuke was in the area and he'd already killed Kisame, Konan, and Pein (Negato). He and his cohorts had chased Akatsuki from base to base for the last three months. Neither of them knew how much time they had left. He teased his sleeping lover awake.

Itachi loved being woken up like this, someone humping his bare ass, a hand caressing his cock, and someone's lips on his neck. Madara reached for oil and prepared his own arousal; a morning fuck should never be painful. Itachi rocked back against him as Madara fucked him, both on their sides.

They were both nearing climax when the door exploded in. They separated, sat up, and turned to look. A bolt of solid electricity skewered Itachi through the top of his left lung.

"Itachi!" Madara cried out. An electrified blade flew in and caught Madara in the shoulder joint and they were both pinned to the wall.

Itachi lungs quivered with the electricity and would not let him draw adequate breath, his heart fibrillated and threatened to fail, and his entire body numbed. He couldn't move, couldn't answer Madara's panicked call as he called again. But he could raise his eyes. Sasuke. Then his world went black.

He woke up dressed and tied with his hands pressed back to back to that he could not make handsigns and blindfolded.

"Sasuke," Suigetsu called. "He's awake."

"You even think Amaterasu and I'll kill you now."

"Foolish little brother."

"Silence!"

Itachi defied him. "Where's Madara?"

"Next to you, but still unconscious. I've captured the two of you, Hidan, Deidara, and that opportunistic turncoat Kabuto. We've killed Kisame, Pein, Sasori, Konan, Zetsu, and Kakasu. Akatsuki is done."

"Why didn't you kill us?"

"I'm taking you back to Konoha. We'll deal with you there." Sasuke struck him in the temple and he knew no more until he was being marched into Konoha.

Madara had truly loved Itachi, even more than Itachi loved him, but Itachi loved him enough to rail in the streets for his life. He would make Sasuke suffer. Both brothers made the same mistake: letting the other one live.

—

He should have known; Itachi stepped from Madara to him as easily as he stepped from one lovers' bed to another. Itachi may have loved Madara—he made a big enough scene when Sasuke killed him—but Itachi didn't really care about anyone but himself. But what was Itachi to do? Implicate himself to his husband and flee again? No one would spare his life a second time and Naruto might just come to his senses and reconcile with Sasuke in order to track them down. Hidan guessed he shouldn't be surprised at how easily Itachi cut him off.

—

Itachi and Naruto switched places with Naruto on his back and Itachi riding his cock, quite frankly just desperate to get himself off as Naruto tried to pull him down harder.

"Sasuke," Naruto whimpered. Itachi stopped dead. Naruto was a few seconds coming back to his senses enough to look at Itachi. "What's wrong?"

Itachi's back was painfully straight and rigid. "Nothing, I thought I heard something." Itachi renewed his efforts, rolling his hips and clinching his muscles to bring Naruto off as soon as possible. The idiot didn't even realize what he'd let slip. Naruto cam and didn't notice that Itachi had completely lost his erection.

Naruto purred contentedly and pulled Itachi into his arms. Itachi allowed himself to guided, but his eyes had gone crimson. He felt Naruto drift off. Itachi pulled away. He couldn't sleep. So much for the possibility of love between them. Sasuke had to go.

—

I'm not into MPreg, so I had to change the situation, but Hidan/Aaron is driven off, my job done here.


	17. Shootin Stars

Kakashi, Kiba, Suigetsu, Jugo, Karin, Izumo, Kotetsu, Ino, Hinata, and Shino followed Sasuke through the village streets in the middle of the night. They stopped in front of the Hokage mansion.

"Now, friends, let's see your archery and kunai skills. Suigetsu! It's up to you to sound the sea, look for Justice there." He gave Suigetsu a letter. "Give this to her when you find her. Shino! With your friends there, you must search the forest and find Justice. Jugo! Your strength means you must dig the earth to find her. Pierce the center of the earth and seek her there. Kiba, you go with him, you can pierce the earth even better than he, but you might need his help when you reach the underworld. I know Naruto and Itachi, or that devil Hidan, have spirited Justice away. When you find her, tell her of Sasuke's ill-treatment in ungrateful Konoha! No. I'm the one who made Konoha a misery by forcing such a Hokage on you and bringing those devils from the Akatsuki here alive. Well get you gone, my friends."

They all gathered behind Sasuke as he started tying notes to cart full of kunai, arrows, and shuriken; a difficult task with only one hand.

"I fear he may be far gone," Kakashi said.

"Humor him," Suigetsu said.

Sasuke turned and saw them all still there.

"Ah! You've returned! Did you find her?"

"Naw, she's not there," Kiba said. "But all in the underworld will send you aid if you ask for it."

"She's not in the sea either," Suigetsu said.

"But the animals say your best vengeance lie with your friends," Jugo said. Shino said nothing.

"Ah, whatever. We don't need the help of pagan gods. We shall solicit our ancestors." Sasuke handed out the paper wrapped kunai and arrows. "That's to Senju Hashirama, this to his brother Tobirama, this to Sarutobi Hiruzen, this to the lately departed Lady Tsunade. And here, this is to poor Gekko Hayate and this to your father Kakashi, Sakumo. To my father, Fugaku, and my mother, Mikoto, I'm sure they wish to see vengeance done on their first born son. Kakashi, send this to Namikaze Minato, Naruto's discipline should be in his father's hands, no? Come friends prepare to loose when I tell you. I swear there is not an ancestor left unsolicited. The Will of Fire itself will avenge us." Sasuke stood in front of them and looked up at the heavens.

"Aim for the windows and balconies of the Hokage mansion," Kakashi told them. "We'll let Naruto know what his people think of him."

"Loose!" Sasuke's eyes were fastened to the night sky. "Ah, well done, well done. Kakashi, Kakashi, what hast thou done? See, see, thou hast shot off one of Taurus' horns!"

His friends continued to fire arrows and throw kunai and shrunken until there were none left in Sasuke's cart. Sasuke laughed heartily. "Good, good! Replace all the stars with my letters! Knocked them all down that they might fall on their cursed heads!"

Ebisu came toward them. "What is this insol—"

"Ah! News from heaven!" Sasuke ran toward him. "What's the news? What tidings? Shall the Will of Fire give us justice?"

"What are you on about?"

"Haven't you come from heaven?"

"I've just come from a mission."

"Where are you going?"

"To the Hokage to give my report."

"Ah! Good, good. Can you deliver a letter for me?"

"I think you've delivered enough letters."

"Can you?"

"If I must."

Sasuke wrote out another letter and wrapped it around a kunai. "Give this to the Hokage. Bye!" Ebisu, stiff-backed, walked off to the Hokage mansion. Sasuke's smile darkened. He spit where Ebisu had stood. "I know his ilk. He reeks of Kabuto. He'll serve his master well until his master is replaced. He doesn't see the man, just the rank. Let Naruto serve you well in return." Recovering his good humor suddenly, he turned to his friends. "Come, let's go home, my friends, we're blocking traffic! Ha, ha!"

—

I know that was mean to Ebisu, but I never liked him except for the fact Crispin Freeman does his voice in the English dub. I always figured Titus knew he was sending the clown to his death, so I gave Sasuke some kind of justification for not liking Ebisu and sending him to his death. I don't like to think Titus was that stupid, he knew the clown would die. I could have cut the clown out like the Taymore film does, but I want Naruto to kill Ebisu. I'm evil. But that's the right of a writer. *evil laugh*


	18. Naruto's Rage

"What the fuck is this!" Naruto raged at Itachi and the elders. "Was any Hokage ever been shown this kind of disrespect? You all know that these rebels are a danger to our peace! They say that we were wrong to execute Sasuke's followers and it's our fault Sasuke's gone crazy. And now Sasuke writes every famous shinobi for help. Even my own father! These letters are flooding the streets accusing me of ingratitude, injustice, and tyranny! He looks for Justice and sends letters to her. I will show him Justice," Naruto growled, "he summoned her from me and I'll show him how cruel Justice can be!"

Naruto turned away and looked out the window.

After a minute of silence, there was a knock at the door. It was Ebisu.

"My lord Hokage."

"Can this wait?" Itachi said.

"I can report tomorrow, but Uchiha Sasuke gave me this letter for you, lord Hokage."

Itachi handed the letter to Naruto who read it. When he finishes, he gestures to Ebisu, "Execute him?"

"Execute Sasuke?" Ebisu asked.

"No," Itachi said, "you."

Kabuto drags Ebisu out.

"Go, drag Sasuke here by his over moosed hair! How dare he! How dare he mock me!" Itachi held up a hand to stop anyone from obeying Naruto's orders.

An ANBU appeared. "My lord Hokage, urgent news. Suna has sent a large force of Shinobi and they are nearly at the village gates. They are under Shikamaru's command."

"Shikamaru gone to Suna?" Naruto's rage was gone, replaced with sad astonishment. "The people love and respect him almost as much as Sasuke. I've heard them say that after Kakashi, Sasuke, and Neji, Shikamaru was the next best choice for Hokage. And Gaara turned on me? Not good."

"What should you fear?" Itachi asked. "This is one of the strongest villages in the world. Even without Sasuke and his followers you have the best Shinobi."

"But the people probably still see me as the Kyubi, I'm sure they will side with Shikamaru and Sasuke."

"The hawk does not let the little birds sing as they will, he rules them fear and majesty. It is the same with the Hokage. I will go to my brother and charm him."

"He will not call off Shikamaru."

"I'm his brother. He didn't kill me, I'm sure, because he still loves me. He will listen to me. I can be very persuasive." Itachi turned to the ANBU. "Go to Shikamaru and tell him we wish to a parley with him at his lov—at my brother's house."

"Hai." He disappeared.

"I'll go now to my brother and persuade him to send the Suna shinobi home."

"Go, quickly. If Gaara joins this fight, I don't think we have a chance."


	19. The Suna Camp

The Suna shinobi gathered in a large clearing near the Nara forest. Shikamaru addressed the captains and his generals, Tamari and Kankuro.

"My friends, I have received letters from Konoha telling us how much hate they have for their Hokage and how glad they are to know we are approaching. We must destroy Naruto, his supporters, and the remnants of Akatsuki he allowed to roam free."

"We'll go where you lead, Shikamaru," Tamari assured him.

"Thank you. But who is this?"

A platoon of Suna shinobi approached with Hidan, bound.

"We found this one spying on us," the captain said.

"Oh, wonderful. This is the devil who took Sasuke's hand. Have you nothing to say, Hidan? Kill him."

"You'll try, but I'm immortal. You and your lover know that best, you cocksucker."

"Crucify him on a tree and leave him there for ravens to feed on. We'll see what your immortality will do for you then."

"Wait and I'll tell you many things. I'm Itachi's lover after all."

"If what you say pleases me, I won't nail you to a tree for the rest of eternity."

"If it pleases you? It'll drive you mad. I can tell you about murders, rapes, massacres, adulteries, abominable deeds, mischief, treason, villainies . . . You'll never hear it if you nail me up."

"Tell me."

"Swear it."

"What should I swear by? You are Jashinist. I will not swear by your god and you do not believe in the Will of Fire."

"So what if I don't believe in your gods? I know you believe in your Will of Fire and you will not violate an oath you make on it."

"I swear not to leave you hopelessly nailed to a tree by the Will of Fire."

"First, I've been Itachi's lover since before we came to Konoha and have been lovers the entire time he's been married to Naruto. Kabuto and Deidara are also his lovers."

"That slut!"

"That's one of our virtues compared to the rest. Kabuto, Deidara, and I, with a shadow clone of Itachi, distracted Hyuga Neji while Itachi took his back and attack his one blind spot. Then the four of us raped Sakura. Kabuto cut out her tongue. But I was the one who 'trimmed' off her hands."

"You call that trimming?"

"Washed and trimmed. It was good sport."

Shikamaru trembled with rage.

"I'm the one who suggested the whole thing, but it was Kabuto who decided to cut out her tongue and not kill her as Itachi ordered him to do. I led those other two to the spot where we killed the Hyuga and hid the money under that tree, setting them up for Naruto's suspicion. Itachi wrote the letter and gave it to Naruto. I asked for your lover's hand and once I had it, I nearly bit my own tongue off to keep from laughing hysterically at your antics and Sasuke's sincerity. I already knew your friends had been executed and sent you their heads and Sasuke's hand. I hid myself nearby and watched your grieves. I laughed so hard my face was as wet as his! And when I told Itachi about that, he gave me twenty kisses."

"You can say all that and never blush?" Kankuro demanded.

"Can a black dog blush?"

"Aren't you in the least bit sorry?" Shikamaru growled.

"Yeah. That I haven't done a thousand more viscous deeds. I curse the day—though I think only a few days come under that curse—that I did not do an evil deed like kill a man, devise a death, rape some young thing, make another man a cuckold, accuse innocent men of heinous crimes, foreswear myself, cause murderous hate between friends, kill poor men's livestock or burn their fields and bid them quench the flames with their tears. I've dug up dead men and propped them at their friend's door once they had gotten over their grief and write in blood on the wall 'Let not your sorrow die, though I am dead.' I've done any number of evil deeds as easily as you would kill a fly. It grieves me that I cannot d a thousand more."

"Stop his mouth!" Shikamaru demanded. Hidan was gagged. "We'll decide what to do with him later."

"Shikamaru-sama," Baki called. "There is a messenger from the Hokage here to speak with you."

"I see him." Shikamaru, Tamari, and Kankuro followed Baki. A masked ANBU shinobi stood waiting for him at the edge of the clearing.

"Shikamaru-sama, Suna leaders, the Hokage greets you. He understands you have come in arms and he desires to have a parley with you at Uchiha Sasuke's home."

"What do you think, Shikamaru?" Tamari asked.

"Give this message to Uchiha Sasuke and if he agrees, we will come."


	20. I Am Revenge

"I'll appear to Sasuke without my Sharingan and I say I am Revenge come to join with him and right his heinous wrongs. Wait here, I'll lure him out."

Itachi leaped up to the window of Sasuke's old bedroom, leaving Kabuto and Deidara waiting against the wall he'd thrown a kunai into the day before he slaughtered the clan.

Itachi perched on the casement and looked around. He half expected to find Sasuke here, but hadn't been sure. He also feared Karin would be with him. He didn't dare use his Sharingan in fear Sasuke would sense it and take him for Itachi rather than what he claimed to be, the spirit of Revenge.

Sasuke sat in bed with a clipboard, writing on a scroll with his own blood.

"Sasuke." Itachi whispered from his perch.

Sasuke did not look up. "Who interrupts my contemplation? It is your trick, raven, to make me open the window and so that my sad decrees will fly away with you? No! I've set down these bloody lines and what is written shall be executed."

"Sasuke, I've come to talk with you."

"Not a word, raven."

"If you knew me, you would talk with me."

Sasuke still did not raise his head. "I am not crazy, I know you well enough." Sasuke raised his handless arm and looked at it. "See this wretched stump, see these crimes against me and mine," Sasuke put his fingers to his smooth cheeks, "see these trenches made by grief and care, see all these sorrows, that I know you well as my wrenched brother, Itachi." Sasuke looked up now. "Do you come now for my other hand?"

"I'm not Itachi," he said as he slid off his perched and into the room. "He is your enemy and I am your friend. I am Revenge, sent to wreak vengeance on your foes. Come down to the street to confer with me and my ministers." Seeing Sasuke's eyes widen, but not move, Itachi approached the bed and crawled up to him as he spoke. "There is no place where murder or rape can hide, for I shall find them and whisper in their ears my dreadful name, Revenge." The last Itachi whispered into Sasuke's ear. Sasuke could not suppress a shutter.

"Are you Revenge?" Itachi leaned back. "You've been sent to be a torment to my enemies?" Sasuke put aside his scroll.

"I am. Come down to the street and welcome me and my ministers."

"But how like my brother you are."

"I can take any form." Itachi used a ninjutsu any shinobi, even Naruto, could use, but he used it so smoothly that it did not look like ninjutsu. He changed to Naruto, then to Kabuto, then Deidara, then Hidan, then to Kakashi, Sakura, and finally to Shikamaru. Then he returned to his own face.

Sasuke was nude under a single sheet. Something had excited him. Could it be Shikamaru's face? But it wasn't until Itachi showed his real face again that Sasuke's erection grew.

There could be no doubt when Sasuke lunged forward to take Itachi's face in his hands forcing Itachi to lean back. "Are you really Revenge? Finally come to me after so many years?"

_He really has been driven insane._ "I am. I've been with you the entire time, but I've appeared to you since all your efforts have ended up in vain."

Itachi couldn't keep his eyes from widening when Sasuke kissed him on the lips and was too shocked to resist opening his mouth and letting Sasuke's probing tongue enter.

Sasuke pulled away slowly. "I've sought you nearly all my life. My love, the one I've loved more than any other, Revenge. I'm yours."

Sasuke kissed him again passionately. He pushed Itachi's black cloak from his shoulders and rubbed his chest through his shirt. After a minute Sasuke's lips left Itachi's and kissed down to his throat. Itachi couldn't repress a moan. Out of impatience, Itachi used his own ninjutsu to burn his own clothes away, careful not burn he or Sasuke. He could use his ninjutsu to create an illusion of clothes under his cloak. All that mattered was this.

Sasuke's lips transferred to Itachi's chest and nursed on his muscular pectoral muscles, driving Itachi insane. Sasuke pulled his legs from under Itachi's body and took Itachi hard length into his mouth. Itachi would not believe this was happening if he could think at all. All Itachi could manage was the occasional stray thought. _Sasuke's practice with Shikamaru has paid off_. _I wonder if the snake taught him how to do that._

Sasuke pulled back leaving a thick coat of saliva on Itachi's aching erection. He lay back with his knees pulled up and legs spread. How could Itachi resist his beautiful, lily-white, younger brother?

Itachi eased into his brother more easily than he anticipated. He thought of Sasuke as a tight-ass, but then he remembers his male lover; Sasuke was no stranger to this. So Itachi just got to it. Having his cold little brother writhe under him like a wanton slut (like Itachi sometimes did for others) turned him on even more. Sasuke didn't even try to hold back his climax. Itachi had to reign himself in to avoid cuming early. Sasuke was still writhing as Itachi mercilessly hit Sasuke's prostate again and again, reviving his erection. Sasuke cried out softly and Itachi cam inside him.

Sasuke pulled himself up Itachi's body and kissed him. He maneuvered Itachi down onto his back. Sasuke used his own semen to lubricate his length and entered Itachi's body. Itachi was so well fucked it wasn't funny, but the feel of his own brother entering him was mind blowing.

Sasuke leaned down and kissed Itachi like a lover. Whereas Itachi had fucked Sasuke, Sasuke was making love to Itachi gently and lovingly. After several minutes, Itachi used his talented ass to massage Sasuke's cock inside him. Sasuke pulled up and suppressed a cry. Itachi took advantage and attacked Sasuke's nipples bringing Sasuke closer to climax. Sasuke's hands went to Itachi's hair, pulling it from the ponytail and clutching at it desperately. With a final thrust, they cam together.

They both collapsed, but out of pride, Itachi wouldn't let his body go completely boneless. He got out from under Sasuke and put on his cloak, clothes seeming to magically appear as he did.

"Get dressed and come down."

Itachi leaped from the window and landed feet in front of Kabuto and Deidara who were sitting and leaning impatiently against the wall.

"What took so long?" Deidara asked.

"He'll come down."

"Not what I asked, nh."

Itachi retied his hair.

Another minute passed before Sasuke came to the door, dressed in Shikamaru's soft robe.

"Revenge, prove you are Revenge by killing those two next to you."

"These are my ministers."

"What are their names?"

"Rape and Murder. They are named so because they take vengeance on such kinds of men."

"Oh, how like my brother's lackeys they look. And you my brother. Ah, but we mortal men have mad, mistaking eyes and mine are damaged by tears."

"He's nuts," Deidara whispered.

"Humor him," Itachi whispered back as Sasuke slipped on shoes and walked toward them. "I'll make him send for his lover and the leaders of Suna. I will make them Sasuke's enemies."

"I greet you, Revenge. And you Rapine and Murder, you are welcomes too. How like my brother and his lackeys you are."

_You've said that already!_ Deidara thought with anger at being called a lackey.

"Well fitted if you had a foul-mouthed vampire. Could hell not afford to lend you such a devil? Now that you're here, what shall we do?"

"What would you have us do, great Uchiha Sasuke?" Itachi asked.

"Show me a murderer and I'll deal with him," Kabuto said.

"Show me a rapist and I'll deliver vengeance on him," Deidara chimed in.

"Show me who has done you wrong and I will be revenged on them all."

"Look on the streets of Konoha and when you find a man who looks like yourself, my good Murder, stab him! he's a murderer. Go with him, good Rape, and when you find a man who looks like you, a man mind you, stab him! he's a rapist. And my lovely Revenge, go to the Hokage's residence, there you'll find a man who does in every way resemble you. Give that man some violent and painful death. They have all been violent to me and mine."

"You give us good instruction. But would it please you, my dear Sasuke, to send for your valiant lover who brings shinobi of Suna here and ask him and the Suna leaders to come and feast here at your home? To this feast I'll bring Itachi and his minions, the Hokage and all your enemies to stoop and kneel before you and you can deliver your own punishment on them. What do you say to this plan, dear Sasuke?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said lightly with a shrug. "Kakashi! Kakashi! Sad Sasuke calls!"

Kakashi came out and hesitated on seeing Itachi and his men.

"My dear sensei, go find Shikamaru and bring him here with the leaders of the Suna forces. Tell him, the Hokage and Itachi will come feast with us. If you love me, tell him."

"I'll do your bidding." Kakashi eyed Itachi, but left immediately to the forest.

"Now I will go to bring the Hokage and his people to you."

"No, no, let Rape and Murder stay with me. Or I'll call Kakashi back again and seek no revenge, but my lover."

Itachi turned to his men. "What do you think?"

"Go ahead."

"We'll be fine."

"Good. Just humor him."

_They think I've gone insane. I'll show them how mad I am; not insane, but I'll show them my rage._ These thoughts were nowhere on his face, still serene.

Itachi turned back to him. "I'll go about your business, Sasuke, and leave my ministers with you. Farewell."

"Farewell, sweet Revenge." Sasuke's eyes took on the same half-lidded bedroom eyes as when they made love.

A little shaken, but keeping his composure, Itachi left.

"So," Kabuto said, "how shall we be employed?"

"Kiba! Suigetsu! Jugo!" The three shinobi came out of his house.

"Sasuke?" Jugo asked.

"Know these two?"

"Deidara and Kabuto," Suigetsu said.

"No! You are deceived, my friends. This one is Rape and Murder is this one's name. Therefore, bind them. And gag them."

The three of them did so as Akamaru came out and held the pair at bay. Sasuke led them back into the house, to the same room where his parents were slaughtered by Itachi. He left them there while he sought out Sakura. He came back with his sword and Sakura held a basin in her handless arms.

"Villains! Here is our spring who you violated. You killed her husband and for that our friends were condemned to death, my hand cut off and made a merry jest. And both her sweet hands, her tongue, cut out. And you raped her! What would you say if I let you speak?" They both mumbled behind their gags. "You dare ask for forgiveness? Listen to how I shall punish you. You will pray that I had killed you in your Akatsuki den. You know your dear Itachi comes to feast with us. He calls himself Revenge and thinks me crazy. Hear me! I will grind your bones to a powder and use it bake the rolls and thicken a stew I shall make with meat from your bodies. Itachi will feed upon you. With my good hand I'll cut the steaks from your bodies before you bleed out. I'll clean your bodies, taking your organs and gutting you until your blood stops flowing. I'll slit your throats so that your blood will drain into this basin Sakura holds. I'll lace the wine and stew with your blood and bid him eat and drink. Be ready Sakura to receive their blood. Let us begin and I'll play the cook."

Sasuke was not crazy; he wasn't taken in by Itachi's lies at all. But when Itachi leaned so close to him, he couldn't help but feel the love he once had for his brother. Somehow in that moment it turned from the love of a brother to sexual. He was glad he did it. He'd grieved for Itachi when the man he knew died the night he killed their clan; he grieved for him again as he plotted his death even while he made love to him. Now the last part of him that loved his brother could rest in peace and the man himself would follow.


	21. The Feast

Shikamaru entered the Uchiha compound escorted by Kakashi with Tamari, Kankuro, Baki, and four other captains with Hidan bound and gagged.

"Kakashi, store this dog somewhere. He can, though I won't wager he will, tell the story of all the wrongs he and the other Akatsuki have done to us."

Kakashi and two of the captains took Hidan away. Shikamaru led the others to Sasuke's house. Suigetsu nodded to him and went after Kakashi. Jugo greeted the group. Shikamaru was surprised by the cheery decorations in the house.

"Where's Sasuke?"

"In the kitchen."

"The kitchen?"

"He's determined that everything be perfect and is overseeing it all himself."

"I heard that Karin was pregnant, how is she?"

"She'll deliver any day. Shizune and Ino are with her constantly at Sasuke's request. He wants nothing to go wrong with the birth."

"I should think not. Sasuke would have a child during a war."

Sasuke came into the room calm, but he clearly had rushed at the news Shikamaru had arrived. He kept some decorum in front of the representatives from Suna.

After greeting them and introductions, Sasuke pulled Shikamaru away. Once alone, Sasuke kissed Shikamaru passionately. "I've missed you so much," he pulled away to say.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you. I wish I could have been with through all this."

"I would have benefited from more than your mind."

Shikamaru kissed him again, their hands wondering all over the other's body. Shikamaru snaked his hands around the hems of Sasuke's clothes to feel his smooth skin. He was little surprised to find the hard muscle replaced with bone. He noticed Sasuke was gaunt, but he didn't realize how much he was wasting away. Shikamaru pulled away.

"You're skin and bone."

"Doesn't matter now. We will end all this today."

"You expect to come to an arraignment with Naruto and your brother."

"I didn't say that."

"Should I avoid the wine?"

"Depends on your tastes. I intend to drink as much as possible. Think of this a party, Shikamaru." Sasuke turned for the door, but turned back. "Above all, remember that I love you."

"I love you."

Sasuke smiled broadly. That put Shikamaru on his guard; something was wrong.

All the representatives of Suna, Shikamaru, Jugo, Suigetsu, Kakashi, and Kiba gathered in the living room. Shikamaru got the story of the last few months and, more specifically, the last few days.

"Naruto could not stand for that. And he executed Ebisu? I didn't think there was any love lost between them, but to off handedly execute him."

"I don't know if it's Itachi, the Kyubi's influence, or Naruto himself, but he is very short tempered recently," Kakashi said. "Hidan fled a few days ago, he wasn't spying on you for Naruto. Itachi maybe, but not for Konoha."

Several ANBU arrived, signifying that Naruto was approaching. He came with Itachi and the two elders. Kakashi met him.

"Lord Hokage. Uchiha Sasuke welcomes you to his home." He waved Shikamaru over. "This quarrel must be debated, but Sasuke has prepared a feast and it is ready. He prays for peace between our factions and for Konoha."

"Any ramen?"

"I think he's preparing some. He knows it's your favorite."

"Oh, good." Itachi rolled his eyes.

Everyone sits around the table. Once the rustling of them settled stopped, Sasuke entered, removing his apron as he entered. Sakura followed, veiled, balancing a tray with a bowl of stew. Izumo and Kotetsu brought out dishes.

"Welcome, lord Hokage, welcome my Suna brothers, my friends, my brother. I will serve you myself." Sasuke ladled stew into each bowl except for Naruto who did not have a bowl of his own. Sasuke disappeared and brought his a large bowl of ramen.

"Izumo, wine."

Izumo took the bowl from Sakura and went to fetch the decanted wine.

Sakura sat, but did not remove her veil. Naruto sat next to her and ate and drank. Most around the table would not do either until they saw Sasuke do so. Sasuke ate lustily. One of the ANBU tasted Naruto's ramen before allowing Naruto to begin glutting himself. Itachi ate little by little, but even he had to admit it was wonderful and the wine was thick and heady. A little reminiscent of blood. _Couldn't be._ Then he wondered where Deidara and Kabuto were. But Sasuke prevented him.

"Lord Hokage," Sasuke said.

"Naruto to you, Sasuke. You were always my best friend."

Itachi scowled.

"Naruto, you elders too, give me your opinion." Sasuke stood and Sakura turned to watch him as he walked behind his friends. "I was reading on old text. There was a man named Virginius who killed his daughter with his right hand because she was raped. Was he right to do so?"

Both the elders nodded. "Yes, it was," Naruto said when he saw the elders nod.

"Your reason?"

One of the elders whispered into Naruto's ear. "Because the girl should not survive her shame and her presence would just make her father sadder and sadder."

"A good reason, lord—Naruto. But it is, for me, a wretched thing to perform myself." Sasuke put his right hand to Sakura's neck. Shikamaru stood as he understood Sasuke's intention, but was too late; Sasuke used his one good hand to break Sakura's neck. "Die, my sister, and our sorrows die with you."

Naruto, Kiba, Tamari, Kankuro, the two elders, and the nameless Suna captains stood. Kakashi hung his head, Suigetsu unaffected, Jugo understanding, and Baki familiar with the practice. None of the men still seated knew what Sasuke planned, but only Kakashi was shocked by it.

"What have you done?" Naruto demanded.

"Killed her who has made me blind with tears. It pains me as much as it did Virginius." Sasuke cradled Sakura's head against his waist lovingly.

"What? Was Sakura raped? Who did it?"

"Please eat, my friends. Itachi, my brother, feed; you look as thin as me."

"Why have you killed her?" Tamari asked.

"I didn't do it. It was Deidara and Kabuto, among others. It was they who raped her, cut off her hands and cut out her tongue."

"Bring them here!" Naruto demanded his ANBU guards.

"Why, there they are! That is pig in the stew and ramen, but it's not pork! Blood gives it the broth a nice color, doesn't it? And wine never looked redder. Blood does make the wine a bit thick though. Look where their comrade and lover, my brother, has oh so daintily fed on them."

Itachi was not as disgusted as he should be since drinking blood was not foreign to him, but he pushed back from the table. His eyes were bright with his Sharingan.

"'Tis true, Naruto. Oh, but it wasn't just Deidara and Kabuto. Witness this bloody knife, it was also Hidan and your dearest lover, Itachi."

Itachi and Naruto's eye locked for a moment, but it was enough of a distraction for Sasuke to attack Itachi, pulling his head back and slitting his throat. Itachi futilely pressed his hands to the wound. His Sharingan faded and he collapsed.

Naruto leaped up, creating a Rasingan, even without a clone, and attacked Sasuke. Jugo partially transformed and attacked Naruto as he ran down the table to Sasuke. His hit made Naruto miss his mark, hitting Sasuke in the liver rather than the heart. Jugo pummeled the blonde. Shikamaru and Kakashi ran to Sasuke immediately and Shikamaru cradled his dying lover as he struggled to sit up.

"Easy, Jugo," Sasuke said. Jugo calmed and collapsed.

"Sasuke, you fool," Shikamaru said.

"Fewer lives lost this way," Sasuke struggled to say.

Ino rushed in and hesitated at the sight of the carnage. The faces turned to her brought her back to herself. "Sasuke, Karin's delivered a pair of healthy twins, twin boys."

Sasuke smiled. She rushed to him, choosing him out of the bloody bodies around her. "Don't bother, Ino, I'm dying." He turned to Shikamaru. "Take me to them."

Everyone stood aside and allowed Shikamaru and Kakashi to practically carry Sasuke to Karin's room. She was worn out and half conscious as the tree men entered. They took Sasuke to the crib. Two black haired boys lay there looking so much like Sasuke that he was almost sorry to see them.

"Let one of them be named Izuna and the other Takamaru. Don't let them grow up knowing the history of our clan. Is Karin alright?"

"She's sleeping," Shizune said. She saw the rate the blood was flowing and knew there was no saving the Uchiha.

"Shikamaru, will you help raise them?"

"Of course," Shikamaru answered, fighting back tears as he watched Sasuke's skin grow grayer as more blood pooled at their feet.

"Kakashi, will you help to protect them?"

"Yes."

"And Kakashi, for the love of the village, take the seat of Hokage. Or you Shikamaru, if you won't Kakashi. Give my apologies to Suna and to Karin. Sasuke slumped into Shikamaru's arms. "I'm sorry, Shikamaru. I do love you. Dearly. And Kakashi, thank you. Give my thanks to the rest of our friends."

Shikamaru was forced to lower Sasuke's strengthless body to the floor and griped his hand. Kakashi bent over him. "Kakashi. The Kyubi. Naruto is dying too. The Sharingan. It can subdue Kyubi. Try sealing him in one of my children if you think possible." Sasuke's eyes widen as his heart pumped the last few drops of blood through his body. "Isn't it enough, my clan?"

Sasuke was dead, clutched close to Shikamaru's chest.

—

It was sometime before Kakashi could return to the dining room where everyone still remained. Kakashi called the elders and asked Jugo and Kiba to bring the dying Hokage to Karin's room to transfer the Kyubi to Izuna.

Shikamaru carried Sasuke's body to their room. He could hear, but didn't mark the sounds of the sealing. Suigetsu came to tell him it was done.

Shikamaru and Kakashi rejoined the gathered shinobi. They explained the full story going back to the Uchiha massacre.

In conclusion, Kakashi said, "Let Naruto be buried honorably, befitting a Hokage. Sasuke will lie with his ancestors. As for Itachi, through his body out in the forest for his beloved ravens feed on him."

It was decided that Kakashi would become Hokage. The next day Shikamaru took Hidan into his family's forest and beheaded the man, destroying the body and throwing his head in a deep hole. Hidan screamed his last words at Shikamaru just before he set off the explosive tags that would bury Hidan forever.

"_Teme!_ If one good deed in all my life I did, I do repent it from my very soul!"

—

Izuna is the name of Madara's younger brother. And yes, I know strengthless is not a word.


End file.
